The core appeal of Willy Wonka is that he’s a nigh-omnipotent maniac who uses his near limitless powers over reality to trick shitty people into killing themselves. You can’t make him the protagonist of a whimsical coming of age tale - you have to treat him like Jason Voorhees, or Dracula, or any other horror icon. Give him some new victims and new interesting kills and set him loose, that’s all audiences want.
I feel like I watched a somewhat different movie…
This is why Gene Wilder is the only Willy Wonka I respect. He plays it SO FUCKING SINISTER and nobody since has even come close.
