Ryan Gosling Might Play Willy Wonka, According to a New Rumor

Ryan Gosling is apparently interested in playing Willy Wonka in Warner Bros' planned reboot. That Hashtag Show (opens in new tab) has claimed that Gosling will star as the iconic chocolate factory owner, previously played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, in the prequel about Willy Wonka's younger days.

Warner Bros is said to be looking for a male actor between the ages of 29 and 35, and Gosling is apparently interested in the role, even if he is 36 years old. It was revealed last October that producer David Heyman, who brought the wizarding world of Harry Potter to life, was working on a Willy Wonka reboot full of Pure Imagination.

Warner Bros reached a deal with the estate of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author Roald Dahl for the new film, which will apparently center on Willy Wonka's earlier adventures, without being a full-on origin tale.

It was hoped that the reboot could well lead to sequels that would introduce other classic Wonkaverse characters, like Charlie and his grandpa.

The 2005 reboot of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory made more than $475 million at the worldwide box office. The reboot will be written by Inside Out and The Secret Life of Pets co-writer Simon Rich.

Whether we'll see Gosling as Willy Wonka remains to be seen, but we will next see him in the highly-anticipated Blade Runner 2049, which is released on 6 October.

Follow Marie Claire on F (opens in new tab)acebook (opens in new tab) for the latest news, long reads, video, and more.