Warner Bros. appears to be cooking up something sweet for fans of its beloved chocolatier franchise. A new production report suggests the studio’s next chapter in the Wonka saga could arrive sooner than expected, and it carries exciting implications for one of Hollywood’s biggest leading men.
Wonka 2 could get a 2027 release date
Warner Bros. is moving forward with Wonka 2, and the sequel could hit theaters as early as 2027. Scooper DanielRPK reports that the sequel will start production this coming August. Director Paul King confirmed back in November 2024 that the sequel was in development, with the script “half written” already.
The August production start makes a 2027 release window highly plausible for the follow-up. Warner Bros. previously held a placeholder on its calendar for an “untitled family film release” dated December 17, 2027. Industry insiders suspect that slot was reserved for the Wonka sequel.
The studio has since announced Andy Serkis’ The Hunt for Gollum for that December 2027 date. Warner Bros. could make an official announcement about the film at CinemaCon this week. No confirmed release date for Wonka 2 has been revealed at this time.
The original Wonka starred Timothee Chalamet as the eccentric candymaker in a prequel to Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel. The ensemble cast included Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, and Hugh Grant. Grant memorably played an Oompa-Loompa in the musical fantasy film that King directed.
Wonka grossed $634.5 million worldwide against a production budget of around $125 million. The film followed Willy Wonka’s early days as a chocolatier while contending with his future rivals. It earned an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 on Metacritic.
The sequel will likely be Chalamet’s next project after wrapping Dune: Part Three back in November. The actor also received an Oscar nomination for Marty Supreme earlier this year. Chalamet remains linked to James Mangold’s MotoGP film High Side, but no production dates for that project have been announced. King is also attached to a Labubu film, but that project remains in early development stages.
