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 (film) Willy Wonka Candy Company, a division of Nestlé. A small range of Wonka Bars were launched, utilizing their prominence in the film. The release of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" also rekindled public interest in Roald Dahl's 1964 book, and appeared on the "New York Times" Best Seller list from July 3 to October 23, 2005. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" earned $56,178,450 in its opening weekend, the fifth-highest opening weekend gross for 2005, and stayed at #1 for two weeks. The film eventually grossed $206,459,076 in US totals and $268,509,687 in foreign countries, coming to a worldwide total of