Kit Connor, Taika Waititi to star in ‘Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory’

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Kit Connor attends the Los Angeles premiere of A24’s ‘Warfare’ at DGA Theater Complex on March 27, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Savion Washington/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

Get ready for a brand-new world of pure imagination.

Kit Connor and Taika Waititi are set to lend their voices to the upcoming animated film Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory.

Connor will star as Charlie Paley, while Waititi will lend his voice to Willy Wonka. The film is set for a 2027 Netflix release.

It follows Willy Wonka, who has spent years after the golden ticket contest behind bars for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry. After he’s served his time, Wonka returns to his chocolate factory only to find a new foe in teenager Charlie Paley. Charlie and his friends hatch a plot to break into the factory, take a priceless Wonka bar and save their homes from eviction.

“I’m so excited to enter the wonderful world of Wonka. I was immediately caught by the early concept art and the directors’ vision for the film — capturing the spirit and heart that made the original story so special, whilst imbuing it with something so fresh and unique,” Connor said in a press release. “It’s such a fun representation of the London that I know. This new adventure is going to surprise audiences around the world. You’re in for a treat!”

Jared Stern and Elaine Bogan will direct the film that is from the animators at Sony Pictures Imageworks aka the studio behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and KPop Demon Hunters.

“Our directors, Jared and Elaine, have a bold vision befitting this new adventure whilst remaining sympathetic to the legacy, and I’m thrilled to play my part in bringing Willy Wonka to life in animated form,” Waititi said. “He is so special to me, and the opportunity to voice such an iconic, eccentric candy genius — if a little mischievous at times — is hugely exciting.”