From the reception of the original movie to the bonkers plot, it’s unlikely Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s sequel will ever be made for film.
Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted into a pair of live-action movies, a stage musical and an animated Tom and Jerry film, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. However, in spite of the endearing and multigenerational appeal of Dahl’s original book, its sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, has yet to make its way to the big screen.
Published in 1972, the plot for Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is pretty out there, even by Dahl’s standards. The novel picks up right after the ending to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Charlie Bucket, Willy Wonka and the rest of the Bucket family taking off in Wonka’s flying glass elevator after Charlie is chosen as Wonka’s successor.
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Rather than returning to Wonka’s chocolate factory, Charlie and the gang accidentally find their way into outer space and end up battling a group of shape-shifting extraterrestrials known as the Vermicious Knids. If that wasn’t strange enough, Charlie and Mr. Wonka later have to make their way to an other-worldly realm known as Minusland to recover Grandma Georgina’s soul after they initially return to earth and Charlie’s grandparents take too much of a revitalizing substance Wonka calls “Wonka-Vite.” This also makes Georgina negative two-years-old.
As memorably bonkers as Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is, there are two big reasons why a movie adaptation has never happened. For starters, Dahl disliked the 1971 film adaptation because of changes made to his script, the music and the director. He was also unsure about Gene Wilder’s casting.
Even if Dahl had enjoyed the film, it probably wouldn’t have gotten a sequel. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was mostly well-received by critics upon its release, with Roger Ebert comparing it to The Wizard of Oz, and it is nowadays considered a cult classic. However, it only grossed $4.5 million at the global box office against a $2.9 million budget. Since most films need to double their budget to break even, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was a commercial disappointment. For that reason, there was little financial incentive to turn Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator into a movie after Dahl published it a year later.
While it’s unlikely Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator will be adapted to the big screen, it could make its way to streaming in some form. Back in 2018, Netflix announced it was teaming up with The Roald Dahl Story Company to produce a series of animated shows based on Dahl’s work. The streaming service also revealed Taika Waititi is set to write, direct and executive produce a pair of those series, including one based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and another one about the Oompa-Loompas. Furthermore, Rolling Stone reports the agreement between Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company covers 16 of Dahl’s books, including Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, so his absurd story may find its way to the small screen in some way.
Directed by Mel Stuart, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stars Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson and Peter Ostrum. It is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. The 2005 movie adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was directed by Tim Burton and stars Johnny Depp, is also available to stream on Amazon Prime.
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