Willy Wonka May 2003, Burton immediately thought of Johnny Depp for the role of Willy Wonka, who joined the following August for his fourth collaboration with the director. Burton and screenwriter John August worked together in creating Wilbur Wonka, Willy's domineering dentist father. "You want a little bit of the flavor of why Wonka is the way he is," Burton reasoned. "Otherwise, what is he? He's just a weird guy." Warner Bros. and Burton held differences over the characterization of Willy Wonka. The studio wanted to make Willy Wonka the idyllic father figure Charlie Bucket had longed for his entire life. Burton
The Willy Wonka Candy Company – then owned by Sunmark Corporation – was acquired by Nestlé. Nestlé sells sweets and chocolate under the Willy Wonka brand name in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic and the Middle East. In mid-2015 the Willy Wonka brand name was dropped by Nestlé, in favour of special "throwback" packaging before eventually renaming the entire brand as "Nestlé Candy Shop". Candies previously made by the Willy Wonka brand are now under the Nestlé brand naming, excluding the Wonka brand name