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The Weir of Weird behind 'Planet of the Apes', 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', 'Beetlejuice' and 'Batman' has received the golden ticket from Warner Bros. to direct 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.
The big-screen adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl children's book will mark the second time the whimsical inhabitants of a magical candy factory will come to life on film.
In 1971, Gene Wilder headlined 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory', a movie that has become a cult classic and spawned the hit song 'Candy Man'.
The new adaptation has been a long time coming. Warner Bros. started kicking around the idea of a Wonka redo in 1991, but it didn't snag the rights until 1998. Apparently, Dahl detested the first film, and his family members dragged their feet on approving the second following his death in 1990.
Daily Variety reports that the estate gave the final go-ahead after learning the studio's choice of director. Burton, whose eccentric creative vision dovetails with Dahl's, also produced 1996's version of the author's 'James and the Giant Peach'.
It appears the Burton deal is as good as done. (The director's reps have yet to make an official announcement, but everyone involved swears it's a sure thing.) Burton is heading to London in the coming days for a final heads-up with the Dahl family.
Burton's Chocolate deal is part of a two-film gig with Warner Bros. Before his gets his candyman on, he will oversee a stop-motion animation feature called 'The Corpse Bride'. Then it will be full-steam ahead to Wonka world, with production expected to begin in 2004.
Studio execs are keeping their fingers crossed--they're hoping the new Wonka will launch a successful franchise (see Burton's Warners-backed Batman) that could even spin off into a Broadway musical.
The long-term projections may be a bit optimistic considering Burton's checkered résumé, particularly in terms of remakes. Last year's big-budget 'Planet of the Apes' failed to seriously wow critics and did relative peanuts at the box office.
Burton's next big-screen effort, 'Big Fish', starring Ewan McGregor and Jessica Lange , bows in US cinemas later this year.
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