Ryan Gosling Reportedly Wants to Play Willy Wonka in Warner Bros. Prequel Film

Last year is was reported that Harry Potter producer David Heyman would be teaming up with Warner Bros. to develop a Willy Wonka prequel film. It was said at the time that the film would "not be an origin tale, but a standalone movie focused on Wonka and his early adventures."

According to a new report from The Hashtag Show, the movie will focus on "a young Willy Wonka and how he met the now iconic Oompa-Loompas on one of his earlier adventures." In Roald Dahl's novel, Wonka came across the Oompa-Loompas in Loompaland. He invited them to work in his chocolate factory because he was concerned about their survival. Lommpaland is a very harsh and dangerous environment. 

The report also says that the studio is looking for a male actor between the ages of 29 and 35 and Ryan Gosling is currently the frontrunner. Apparently, he has expressed interest in playing Wonka. And you know what? He'd probably be great in the role!

It's really not that hard to imagine Gosling taking on the role of Wonka. I'd be curious to see his take on the character. I could see him being more inspired by Gene Wilder's version of the character than Johnny Depp's. Wilder should have one an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Willy Wonka! He was brilliant in the role! 

If the studio decided to make this new movie a musical, Gosling also has the singing talent to pull it off. The studio is obviously hoping that this will turn into a lucrative film franchise for them. The potential is there, they just have to make a great film that fans will want to see.

Simon Rich, who is the creator of the fantastic FXX series Man Seeking Woman, is writing the screenplay.

Do you think that Ryan Gosling would make a good casting choice for Willy Wonka?