Wonka UK & North America release date, age rating latest and more

It’s time to get your golden tickets and Wonka bars ready for the Wonka release date (details below). We’re going to give you absolutely everything we know about the film so far, with our deep dive into the cast, estimated runtime, age rating, and of course, the trailer. 

Wonka has been produced by Warner Bros. Pictures after the company acquired the rights back in 2016. The film is directed by Paul King, who also directed the widely successful Paddington movies, cementing him as one of the biggest names in family films.

In addition to taking the helm in the director’s chair, he also co-wrote the screenplay with long-time collaborator Simon Farnaby. The duo also wrote Paddington 2 together, but their first joint project was in front of the camera on The Mighty Boosh.

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Story

The film is an energetic musical prequel, delving into the origins of Willy Wonka, the eccentric chocolatier that travelled the world, honing his craft in chocolate making. He returns home with the hope of opening his own chocolate shop, but there’s the kind of competition that would give Boggis, Bunse and Bean a run for their money.

The story is based on the beloved characters created by Roald Dahl, in his 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Along the trials and tribulations of opening a chocolate shop, we see how he meets some familiar friends, the Oompa-Loompas and you can see the reveal at the end of the trailer at the bottom of the page. 

Cast

The cast of Wonka is chock-full of big names including Hugh Grant (Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves) who plays an Oompa-Loompa, and Olivia Colman (Secret Invasion) as another shop owner in town. Rowan Atkinson plays a priest again, following his last clerical outing in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

However, all of the attention is on the actor in the starring role, Timothée Chalamet, who will also be starring in Dune Part 2 with a relatively close release date in winter 2023. He’ll have support from Sally Hawkins (Paddington 1 & 2) as Willy Wonka’s dear departed mum, Keegan-Michael Key (The Super Mario Movie) as the head of the local constabulary, and Matt Lucas as one of the three rival chocolate cartel owners.

Chalamet is no stranger to blockbusters, having starred the hugely successful first Dune movie, along with Call Me by Your Name, The French Dispatch and Little Women. He has a respectable handful of accolades, including academy award nominations, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs.

This will be the first time we get to see him acting in a musical, where he will be singing and dancing himself. It’s an interesting deviation from his previous roles and with the huge boots of Gene Wilder to fill it’s going to be interesting to see his take on the character up on the big screen.

There are some lesser known but incredibly talented actors involved in the Wonka cast, including Paterson Joseph (Peep Show) and Mathew Baynton (The Wrong Mans, Ghosts) as the other two member of the nefarious chocolate cartel; Jim Cartel (Downton Abbey), Natasha Rothwell (Sonic The Hedgehog 2), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), Simon Farnaby, and Tom Davis (Paddington 2).

Wonka 2023 UK and North America release date

The Wonka UK release date is the same as the North America release date, which is set for December 15th, 2023. Occasionally there are different release dates for different countries, but with such a big film this might just be a couple of days, so we’ll keep you posted here. 

The North America and UK release date for Wonka is still a few months away yet, but Wonka is already fighting against some strong competition in December. Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2 and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are set to be released in December, with more films to be announced.

The Holiday period is famously a very popular month for movie releases, with Christmas typically being one of the busiest times of year for cinemas. Also, contenders for film awards are usually released around November-December, with this period being dubbed “award season”, so there may be a few extra films for Wonka to compete with at the box office.

The DVD and digital release date is yet to be announced, but it will likely be a few months after its run in theatres, putting it at around Spring-Summer 2024. It’s worth noting that the DVD and digital release of Wonka might be a little earlier in North America than the UK, but hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer than our friends across the Atlantic. As soon as the DVD and digital release is announced, we will let you know.

Wonka age rating certificate latest

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is yet to confirm the Wonka age rating certificate, but we can use other films as a comparison. Paddington and Paddington 2 were rated PG in the US and the UK. A PG rating means a film is suitable for general viewing for all ages, with parental guidance. 

The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder in 1971 was rated PG. Additionally, the Tim Burton classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, released in 2005, was also rated a PG. So, it is fairly safe to assume Wonka will probably be rated similarly. 

After watching the trailer, which you can also watch below, we’re expecting that this will be a fantastic movie for the entire family to see, for all ages.

Runtime

Similar to the age rating certification, we won’t know the Wonka runtime until closer to the release date. But we will let you know the moment it is announced.

If we were to estimate, then we can use the Paddington movies. Paddington had a short runtime of only 1 hour and 35 minutes. Paddington 2 was slightly longer at 1 hour 43 minutes. The 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had a runtime of 1 hour 55 minutes. Using these times, we would estimate that the film will be roughly 1 hour 45 minutes.

Wonka Trailer

The trailer looks like a magical mix of music and marvel, with a refreshingly different role by Chalamet. We will see Willy Wonka’s non-stop adventure while he chases his dream of owning a chocolate shop, as he faces up against the challenges and obstacles made by The Chocolate Cartel.

We have had a fair share of films with Willy Wonka, even Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which came out in 2017. But, this will be the first time we have seen his origin story. The trailer doesn’t give too much away, but does give us that familiar humour of the Willy Wonka character, along with a look at the conflict and villains of the film. 

Prequels are by no means new to Hollywood, but with such a well-known and popular character, this origin movie should pull in some success at the cinema. The cast of big-hitters are also expected to draw in audiences, especially with Paul King’s proven directing chops with family films. 

The Wonka trailer ended on a comic high with the reveal of Hugh Grant as the very first Oompa Loompa that he meets. It does show the entire scene, but it looks like it’s gooing to be a musical gem. There will no doubt be another trailer coming soon, so we will keep you posted.

Check out our film news section to keep tabs on the latest, or check out the Wonka movie page over at Warner Bros. to see more on the film at www.warnerbros.com/movies/wonka.