Michael Jackson and the Chocolate Factory

[taintedlunch]

Willy Wonka and Michael Jackson: separated at birth?

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/eo/20050706/112070592000.html

[Lunar Daydreamer]

I'm not much of a Tim Burton fan other than Batman, Big Fish (& his cameon in Singles), but i'm strangely curious as to seeing this.

The original movie seemed to channel Dahl superbly - and Wilder was just fabulous.

As a lil aside, I was Charlie Bucket in a stage production when in my ickle-r acting days! :P

[PatrickG]

Jackson was originally slated for the role but the idea was axed due to fears of bad publicity regarding Jackson frolicking on a set with children.

That said, as soon as I saw the trailer, I've been hoping that the Onion would do coverage of the Willy Wonka trial. The similarities are eerie. Big mysterious compound that a childlike grown man lives in, filled with an amusement park that the world doesn't have access to.

Say what you will about Jackson though, Willy Wonka was killing children in an all ages movie decades before we saw Anakin Skywalker's descent to the dark side.

[SuperGodGinrai]

lol what's funny is that last night, my wife and I were watching tv and the commercial for it came on.
She turned to me and said "you know how Depp said he based Jack from Pirates of the Caribean on Keith Richards ? Wonder if he based Wonka on Jacko, you know since he looks freaking weird and kinda psycho in the trailers ?"

I think it's pretty funny. She loves Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka, she wants to see this but is really afraid to be disapointed.

[Clement]

I heard a while back that Marylin Manson was the first one considered for the role of Willy Wonka.

now THAT would have been cool.

[Cam63]

Bruce Willis in Die Hard mode.

" Yippee-ki-yay, choccy muncher ! "