Wonka director Paul King praises Timothée Chalamet’s “beautiful” singing voice and compares it to Bing Crosby.
Based on the early glimpses of Wonka, the origin story of Roald Dahl’s whimsical chocolatier appears to be a lively, musical-themed spectacle. Nevertheless, according to King, it’s not a full-fledged musical.
In an interview with Total Film, King explains, “The Oompa Loompas sing a lot in the book, and Dahl always uses poetry. But I didn’t want it to just become a musical where people are singing dialogue to each other for no discernible reason. I felt like it was more like a movie with songs than a musical.”
He continues to praise Call Me By Your Name star Chalamet and says “he’s got a beautiful singing voice. The person it reminded me of was Bing Crosby. There’s quite a range, because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things, to moments of real, pure emotion and he can do it all… I’m going to sound like a crazed fan.”
Wonka will hit theaters on December 15.
