No, it’s not pure imagination: Timothée Chalamet stars as the titular chocolatier in Wonka. And today, we got a big taste of what’s to come.
That’s right, the trailer for Wonka finally arrived, to no one’s surprise, the French-American heartthrob is once again the internet’s sweetheart.
Twonka, a history
The film first started generating buzz back in Oct. 2021, when a combination of unsanctioned fan footage and an official first look of Chalamet as Willy Wonka hit timelines. His portrayal of Wonka, quickly dubbed Twonka,(opens in a new tab) short for “Twink Wonka,” created the perfect recipe for meme-making.
Perhaps Twonka is the next Barbenheimer?
Fans took note of his costuming, which looked suspiciously like The Muppet‘s Gonzo(opens in a new tab)‘s elegant evening wear, and one fan even pointed out his tall hat’s “cock vein”(opens in a new tab) — mind you, this was half a year before the Snickers “dick vein” controversy(opens in a new tab). Chalamaniacs stay ahead of the trends. Additionally, a grainy video(opens in a new tab) of Chalamet riding on the back of a pick up truck singing (!) “Now it’s time to show the world my recipe / I’ve got 12 silver sovereigns in my pocket / And a hat full of dreams,” sent fans into hysterics.
Trailer reactions
For the last year, fans have been living off Wonka crumbs, posting memes in anticipation for today’s trailer. One fan resurfaced an edit(opens in a new tab) of Chalamet’s notorious LaGuardia High School talent show performance set to “Oompa Loompa” with the caption, “HAPPY WONKA TRAILER DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE.”
The callbacks to Chalamet’s time as a Nicki Minaj cover artist and rapper by the name of Lil’ Timmy Tim did not end there. The trailer teased some big dance sequences, and fans posted those old dance clips to celebrate.
The trailer contained some truly bizarre lines and delivery from Chalamet, and Twitter users bit at the opportunity to point them out. Favorites include, “Nope! Scratch that. Reverse it(opens in a new tab)!,” “I’m making chocolate of, course(opens in a new tab),” and “Here we go, mama.(opens in a new tab)“
Mr. Wonka himself even got in on the fun with a tweet(opens in a new tab) reading, “HUGHMPA LOOMPA DOOPATY GRANT” in reference to Hugh Grant’s portrayal of an oompa loompa.
Despite the truly goofy moments in the trailer and Chalamet getting in on the fanfare, some questioned if Chalamet contains the silliness necessary for a role like Wonka. One Twitter user wrote(opens in a new tab), “Hate to say it but Timmy lacks the Whimsy. He is just not a silly little guy. He doesn’t have silly guy energy.” The tweet garnered over 23,000 likes and counting. But we remain Twonka defenders.
Only 157 days until we get to see Chalamet cooking up something delicious on the big screen.
