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
The Willy Wonka Candy Company film version in exchange for the candy bar tie-in. Quaker, who had previous experience in the film industry, bought the rights to the book and financed the picture for the purpose of promoting their new "Wonka Bar". The name of Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" however was renamed to "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" for promotion purposes. The new brand was produced by Chicago-based company Breaker Confections (a subsidiary of Quaker Oats), which in 1975 was acquired by Sunmark Corporation of Saint Louis, Missouri. The original Wonka Bars never saw store shelves due to factory production problems prior