Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film) Palin (as well as the other three Monty Python members) had all previously expressed interest in playing Wonka in the 1971 film adaptation. Johnny Depp was the only actor Burton considered for the role, although Dwayne Johnson was Burton's second choice in case Depp was unavailable. Depp signed on without reading the script under the intention of going with a completely different approach than what Gene Wilder did in the 1971 film adaptation. Depp said regardless of the original film, Gene Wilder's characterization of Willy Wonka stood out as a unique portrayal. Depp and Burton derived their Willy Wonka from
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (musical) the Teavees board the S.S. Wonka, a bathtub-shaped boat, and travel through an underground river deep below the factory. Charlie and Grandpa Joe, who were too slow to catch the boat, are forced to swim behind them wearing scuba helmets. Wonka leads them into the TV room, much to Mike's delight. Wonka demonstrates Chocolate Television, which uses a machine to send chocolate bars to TV screens. Mike's obsession with electronics overcomes him and, despite his mother and Wonka's protests, he uses the machine to teleport himself into a television set. However, they cannot locate him on the usual channel, so