The Ronin has been able to confirm that director Paul King’s Willy Wonka prequel, Wonka, is set to film on the stages of Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England. Affectionately known as the Harry Potter studio, as it was the home of the Harry Potter films alongside the three installments of Fantastic Beasts.
The facility was most recently used for Mission: Impossible 7, The Batman, Fantastic Beasts 3, and The Flash. There is still an expectation that Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie will return to the stages in Watford when they start filming Mission: Impossible 8 as there had been multiple production delays on the recent installment due to the pandemic.
Despite the production plans being set alongside a release date the studio has yet to officially announce an actor for the role of the young Willy Wonka. The iconic character created by children’s author Roald Dahl had been previously played on the big screen by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp.
Paul King was behind the first two Paddington movies and worked on the British comedy series The Mighty Boosh.
The had been reports that filming was hoping to begin by September and with a release date of March 17, 2023 it gives Warner Bros. plenty of wiggle-room if they have to push the production start to early 2022.
THE RONIN 