In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2025), Johnny Depp returns as the enigmatic Willy Wonka in this visually dazzling and slightly darker sequel to the 2005 film. Set fifteen years after Charlie Bucket (now played by Jacob Tremblay) inherits the factory, the story begins with Charlie struggling to maintain the magic and mystery of Wonka’s legacy as new corporate candy competitors rise.
When mysterious sabotage starts plaguing the factory—machines failing, recipes going missing—Charlie invites Wonka back from self-imposed exile to help uncover the culprit. Wonka, older and more eccentric than ever, agrees but senses something deeper: the magic that powered the factory is fading.
They open the factory once more to five new children, hoping to reignite the wonder—but things quickly spiral as the children begin to disappear in even more bizarre (and metaphorically darker) ways than before. A girl obsessed with social media becomes trapped in a hall of mirrors, a boy addicted to VR is uploaded into a candy-coded metaverse.
Meanwhile, Charlie starts to question whether the factory itself is alive, feeding off imagination and belief. The final twist reveals that the true saboteur is one of the original children—grown up and bitter after being changed by Wonka’s tests.
In the climactic scene, Charlie nearly sacrifices the factory to save a child’s soul, proving he’s earned more than the title of owner—he’s become the heart of it.
The film ends with Wonka quietly disappearing once again, leaving behind only a note: “Keep it sweet, kid.”