On September 13 Roald Dahl beloved author of such childhood classics as James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and of course Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would’ve turned 101 years old. To mark the occasion BBC Radio invited Dahl’s widow Liccy Dahl on air for a chat. That was when she dropped a major reveal: the iconic mini hero, Charlie, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was originally written as a Black character.
“His first Charlie that he wrote about was a little black boy,” said Dahl's wife. Donald Sturrock, Dahl’s biographer, seated at Liccy’s side, added, “It was his agent who thought it was a bad idea, when the book was first published, to have a black hero. Sturrock then noted that Dahl's publisher said that “People would ask why.”
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Soon the clip hit the internet and before anyone knew it Wrinkle In Time director Ava DuVernay had volunteered herself for the remake. "*raises hand for movie adaptation*" she tweeted enthusiastically.
*raises hand for movie adaptation* https://t.co/mhIHybhl2W
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) September 14, 2017
DuVernay’s response caught the attention of a number of supporters, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt favorite, Tituss Burgess. One Twitter user-turned-casting agent tweeted, “Can it be @titussburgess for Willy Wonka, please?!”
Burgess replied in all-caps, “Ummmmm oh the fun I would have!” We certainly believe we'd have a lot of fun watching him, too.
Ummmmm oh the fun I would have!
— Tituss Burgess (@TitussBurgess) September 14, 2017
Other fans also chimed in with their casting choices for this dream remake. "I'd love to see @TheOrlandoJones as Willy Wonka," one person tweeted, while someone else suggested Hamilton's Daveed Diggs for Wonka. Another person suggested casting Hugh Jackman as Wonka and Black-ish's Miles Brown as Charlie: "All I'm saying is these two would be a helluva combo."
It’s unclear how serious both DuVernay and Burgess are. Then again, we can thank Twitter for bringing DuVernay, Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o together for a heist movie (Netflix acquired the movie in May). In 2016 after one user tweeted out a tale that involved a stripper named Zola, James Franco swooped down and bought the rights to the movie.
So, anything can happen with a little pure imagination and a Twitter account. Even a Rihanna and Beyoncé movie.
All I'm saying is these two would be a helluva combo pic.twitter.com/Vh7fEethfV
— Darkseid's Disciple (@BlckBolex) September 14, 2017
Can Daveed Diggs be the next Wonka?
— Dan Tipton (@dan31417) September 14, 2017
I'd love to see @TheOrlandoJones as Willy Wonka. ?
— April (@ReignOfApril) September 15, 2017
*smiles thinking of Alfre Woodard as a gender-flipped Uncle Joe and Tracee Ellis Ross as Willie Wonka*
— Lance Arthur ?️? (@thelancearthur) September 15, 2017
It was mentioned Morgan Freeman as the Grandfather. Orlando Jones as Willy Wonka. And the little boy from Black-ish as Charlie. This is gold
— F¡thola (@fithola) September 15, 2017
@KatieCofield in the name of Beyoncé, Oprah, and the power of Black Twitter - PLEASE LET THIS HAPPEN. pic.twitter.com/7SZbylEBkt
— Toni Robison-May (@toekneenyc) September 15, 2017