Kit Connor, Taika Waititi to Lead Voice Cast for CHARLIE VS. THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Heartstopper star Kit Connor, who also appeared in Broadway’s Romeo + Juliet, will lend his voice to Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, Netflix’s forthcoming animated reimagining of Roald Dahl’s novel. 

Connor will voice the new character of Charlie Paley in the film, with Academy Award-winner Taika Waititi as the voice of chocolatier Willy Wonka, who also serves as Executive Producer. The movie will be released on the streamer in 2027. Check out a first-look image below.

Set in modern-day London, this animated film features “a new adventure, original songs, brand new characters and some surprising returns,” while also retaining the “quintessential British charm” that is synonymous with Dahl’s original story.

The synopsis reads: "Willy Wonka has spent the years since the Golden Ticket contest behind bars (not the chocolate kind) for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry. Having served his time, Wonka returns to his factory determined to add a little sweetness to a bitter world. But one thing stands in his way: teenager Charlie Paley (Connor) and his friends.

Facing eviction, this next generation of “rotten” kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes. But like many before them who enter the fantastical world of the factory, these kids are in for a bit more than they can chew..."

Jared Stern (The LEGO Batman Movie, Green Eggs and Ham) and Elaine Bogan direct (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Spirit Untamed) the Netflix Animation Studio Original with animation from Sony Pictures Imageworks. The movie is produced by Academy Award winner Aron Warner (Shrek) and Timothy Yoo (Back to the Outback, Green Eggs and Ham).

"Having been raised on the delightfully twisted world of Willy Wonka, it’s a privilege to bring his continued adventures to life as twisted adults," said directors Jared Stern and Elaine Bogan. "And how sweet to do it like never before via the magic of animation, creating a Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory that’s more deliciously unhinged than your wildest imagination. If we do a rotten job, you can throw us down a rubbish chute!"

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been translated into nearly 60 languages and is the best-selling Roald Dahl book in more than 25 countries worldwide. This marks the fourth screen project inspired by the novel, following 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, the 2005 Tim Burton film, and the musical prequel Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet. The book has also been adapted into two stage musicals: Willy Wonka, with songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, and the musical by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021, securing rights to the author's IP. Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory follows the recently announced competition series, The Golden Ticket, which is inspired by the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Kit Connor Photo Credit: David Reiss; Taika Waititi Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images