Oompa loompa doompa-de-doo, Hugh Grant is coming to cinemas near you.
One of Hollywood's biggest events, CinemaCon 2023, saw a major announcement as Warner Bros unveiled new footage from the movie ‘Wonka’ to its convention audiences.
Among the revelations was the casting of none other than Hugh Grant in a quirky role - an Oompa Loompa - which has set movie lovers excited and… intrigued?
Grant expressed his enthusiasm about the role, revealing that his 'perfectly respectable size' Oompa Loompa character (which will be CGI) has quite a "sassy" personality.
Paul King, the director behind the ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ movies, is taking charge of this blockbuster, reuniting with Grant once again.
In ‘Paddington 2’, King cast Grant as the notorious baddie and flamboyant former stage actor Phoenix Buchanan. In the sequel, Buchanan snatches a Pop-Up book that Paddington had put aside for his Aunt Lucy and sets out to hunt for treasure all across London, all in a desperate attempt to make it big and live the high life.
More recently, Grant played the character Forge Fitzwilliam in ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’. So, it's no surprise that Grant is taking on the part of a sassy Oompa Loompa in this upcoming flick.
As for the Wonka prequel, Grant's Oompa Loompa character will of course be joined by the movies main star Timothée Chalamet who will play the whimsical candy maker during his early years, when he was busy as an inventor of sensational sweet treats.
We've already had a few sneak peeks of Chalamet in his Wonka costume but a ton of new details have made sure audiences aren't relying solely on their imaginations.
Set to hit cinemas in December, Director King has teamed up with Simon Farnaby, his colleague from ‘Paddington 2’, to create the film's screenplay.
Alongside Chalamet and Grant, ‘Wonka’ watchers will also see Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, Sally Hawkins on the big screen - to name a few.
Who these other actors will play has not been announced yet. But at least with Grant's character, I am sure his Oompa Loompa will not be short of a few laughs.
