Dwayne Johnson has revealed that Tim Burton considered him to play Willy Wonka in his 2005 remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The action man recently shared footage of Gene Wilder in the 1971 musical fantasy Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory on Instagram and explained in the caption that he had introduced his kids to the children's classic earlier that day.
He then continued to share "some cool history" about the film's 2005 remake, and revealed he was once considered to play the eccentric chocolate factory owner before the role went to Burton favourite Johnny Depp.
"Back in the early 2000's, iconic director, Tim Burton had considered me to play Willy Wonka is his remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember thinking 'HOLY SHIT, IM IN,'" he recalled. "But that was many years ago when I was just starting out in Hollywood with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to even pull it off. The role, of course went to Johnny Depp, who at that time was the biggest star in the world.
"The fact that Tim even considered me (albeit I'm sure he considered for all of 7 seconds:) sure meant a helluva lot to me as I was just breaking into the business with no idea what the future had in store. I'll always raise a glass to the dreams that don't come true, because sometimes they're the best thing that never happened."
Back in 2003, when Burton signed on for the remake, the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star had only recently transitioned from wrestling to acting, making his movie debut as the Scorpion King in 2001's The Mummy Returns.
According to reports, Depp was thought to be the only actor Burton considered for the role, although Johnson was the director's second choice if Depp was unavailable.
Reuters
