Dwayne Johnson was Tim Burton's second choice as Willy Wonka

“In a world of pure imagination,” 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could have panned out to be a completely different film. In an Instagram post last summer, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed that he was in the running to play the iconic Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s film.

“Tim Burton had considered me to play Willy Wonka is his remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember thinking ‘Holy shit, I’m in!’ But that was many years ago when I was just starting out in Hollywood with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to even pull it off. The role, of course went to Johnny Depp, who at that time was the biggest star in the world.”

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Tim Burton had Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as his second choice to play Willy Wonka.

Before Depp was cast, actors such as Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Nicolas Cage were considered. Filming of a prequel film, Wonka, is currently underway with Timothée Chalamet in the starring role. The actor has shared photos from the set, which brings a fresh perspective to the classic tale.

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