Original 'Willy Wonka' star thinks it's 'nice' that Timothée Chalamet's new origin story movie is a prequel instead of another remake

• "Willy Wonka" star Paris Themmen says the Timothée Chalamet prequel will "avoid direct comparison."
• Chalamet is set to star in a movie about Wonka before he opened his secretive chocolate factory.
• Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie in the 1971 movie, said it's "exciting" they're making a prequel.

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" star Paris Themmen said it's "nice" that the upcoming prequel about the eccentric chocolatier will "avoid direct comparison" with Gene Wilder's beloved portrayal of the title character.

Deadline reported in May that Timothée Chalamet will star in a musical exploring Wonka's life before he started his chocolate factory. The prequel, like the 1971 film, is set to be inspired by Roald Dahl's 1964 novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" but will feature a younger version of Wonka than the one Wilder played.

Themmen and his "Willy Wonka" costar Peter Ostrum (who played Charlie Bucket) weighed in on the Chalamet-led prequel in a conversation with Insider to mark the 1971 film's 50th anniversary on June 30.

"I think it's nice for them that they're not doing a remake, they're doing a prequel because that way it will avoid direct comparison," said Themmen, who played Mike Teavee in the original "Wonka" movie.

He added: "Especially in the area of Gene Wilder, that might always be a good thing because he was so wonderful in our version of the film."

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" has been remade several times, into musicals, video games, and a 2005 Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp as Wonka. The popular children's book follows Wonka as he invites a group of golden-ticket-winning children into his secretive chocolate factory.

Ostrum, who played protagonist Charlie Bucket in the 1971 film, told Insider that "anything new that they can do with the character Willy Wonka is a positive," even though each adaptation of the book has been pretty different.

"The remake with Johnny Depp was very positive too - very different film than ours," Ostrum said. "But each, you know, has its own following."

Ostrum added: "It's exciting that they're doing a prequel. It will give more information. I want to know what happened to Willy Wonka prior to me meeting him."

The prequel starring Chalamet is tentatively set to be released in 2023, USA Today reports.