We finally have a first look at Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka [1], and boy, is it a treat. The 25-year-old actor, who's set to portray the fictional chocolatier in Wonka come 2023, offered eager fans a glimpse at his getup for the Warner Bros. movie [2] on Monday and was soon after spotted filming on set in England. Though Timothée will be playing a young version of Wonka before he opens his larger-than-life chocolate factory, his costume is instantly recognisable and draws inspiration from those worn by Gene Wilder in 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Johnny Depp [3] in 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Timothée's take on the eccentric candymaker cherry-picks fashion details from the franchise's past films — most noticeably, the berry-coloured, velvety-smooth coat and top hat — but also weaves in subtle upgrades that are entirely new to the character. Ahead, we take an up-close look at Timothée's dapper Wonka ensemble to dissect what makes it fresh and 2023-approved while also paying homage to the chocolatier's roots.
Timothée Chalamet's Willy Wonka Costume
The Wonka costume department landed on a knee-length velvet coat in a dark magenta colour that's visually similar to the one worn by Johnny Depp [5]. If you zoom in on the right lapel and lower left corner, you'll see some intricate floral embroidery that was absent from the past two films.
Shoutout to the breeze in England for revealing the colourful underside of Timothée's Wonka coat. As for the layers underneath, he's rocking a pink and purple patterned scarf tucked into a black and mustard button-up waistcoat.
Timothée's beige striped trousers are rolled to the calves to show off some worn-in lace-up boots. Also, in this take, he's subbed in a simple navy scarf in lieu of the previous patterned one.
There are some striped high socks hiding under those brown boots of his, too, further adding to the costume's overall eccentric feel.
Last but most certainly not least, Timothée has a brown top hat and simple wooden walking stick with a bronze handle.
Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka Costume
Johnny's coat features thin silver stripes, and underneath he wears a sleek black waistcoat and colourful paisley shirt. Instead of a scarf or tie, his version of Wonka has a cursive "W" pendant adhered to his collar.
Constrasting Timothée's wooden cane, Johnny's is filled to the brim with colourful sprinkles and topped with a whimsical black and white handle.
We desperately hope to see Timothée rocking a version of these iconic sunglasses.
Oh, and we can't forget the plum-coloured gloves that fit so tightly, they're like a second skin. Meanwhile, his top hat is black instead of brown and has two stripes that match his coat.
He also wears black pants rather than beige and has a silver chain attached to his waistcoat.
Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka Costume
Back in 1971, Gene portrayed Willy Wonka for the first time in a long velvet coat that skews far more purple than modern-day iterations.
His costume features a large neutral bowtie that has been replaced by Johnny's "W" pendant and Timothée's scarf. His waistcoat, meanwhile, is more similar to Timothée's with its pink and purple floral pattern, gold buttons, and silver threading.
He wears solid-coloured beige pants sans stripes and brown shoes.
Gene's brown hat resembles that of Timothée's in its simplicity.
Will Timothée tote around a giant mushroom on his cane like Gene did back in the day? We'll have to wait until 2023 to find out.