Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (franchise) co-production with American Lyric Theater and Wexford Festival Opera. A musical based on the novel, titled "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" premiered at the West End's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in May 2013 and officially opened on 25 June. The show is directed by Sam Mendes, with new songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and stars Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka. The production broke records for weekly ticket sales. Coincidentally, Hodge was also the voice of a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory audiobook, as part of a package of Roald Dahl CDs read by celebrities. There are two "Charlie
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (franchise) to the events depicted in the books and films. However, Warner Bros claims that this movie will not be an origin story. In February 2018, Paul King entered final negotiations to direct the film. In June 2018, the producer confirmed it would be a prequel film, which would explore the adventures of Wonka before he opened the chocolate factory. "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka" is a musical that combines elements of both Roald Dahl's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and of the 1971 movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" with newly created material. The musical has several versions: the