Netflix has a new animated Willy Wonka movie coming out in 2027 — and, in a surprising movie, the streamer is putting it in theaters before they release it on their service.
The film is called Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, executive produced and co-starring Taika Waititi. Based on the official description provided by Netflix, it sounds like a sort-of sequel to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Wonka jailed “for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry,” something that of course happens in that earlier film and the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory novel by Roald Dahl.
In addition to Waitii, Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory’s cast includes Kit Connor, Nicola Coughlan, Charithra Chandran, Samson Kayo, Christopher Chung, with Kate Winslet, and Helena Bonham Carter.
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While it is still very unusual for Netflix to release any of its movies in theaters, they are taking baby steps in the direction of giving more of their high-profile titles at least a small theatrical bow. Later this year, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel The Adventures of Cliff Booth will get a run in theaters before its Netflix premiere; early next year Greta Gerwig’s Narnie film will receive the same treatment. The fact that Netflix is also doing that for Charlie vs. Chocolate Facctory suggests they view it as a picture with similar financial potential.
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
Willy Wonka (Waititi) has spent the years since the Golden Ticket contest behind bars (not the chocolate kind) for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry. Having served his time, Wonka returns to his factory determined to add a little sweetness to a bitter world. But one thing stands in his way: teenager Charlie Paley (Connor) and his friends. Facing eviction, this next generation of “rotten” kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes. But like many before them who enter the fantastical world of the factory, these kids are in for a bit more than they can chew…
Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory will premiere in theaters on November 5, 2027, and then shift to streaming on Netflix on December 22, 2027.
