UFC star Conor McGregor to star in upcoming Willy Wonka movie
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has landed the lead role in a new Willy Wonka movie set to his theaters later this year.
Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, its 1972 sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and several films based on those books. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor of the Wonka Chocolate Factory.
Wonka has been portrayed in film multiple times. In 1971, Willy Wonka was portrayed by Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Wilder’s portrayal in the film is considered widely beloved and one of his greatest roles.
In the 1980s, the film had experienced an increase in popularity due to repeated television broadcasts; it also gained cult status with a new audience in home video sales.
In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Willy Wonka character in 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory polarized critics and audiences. In 2023, Timothée Chalamet portrayed the character in a standalone film that tells his origin story titled Wonka.
Conor McGregor has not competed inside the UFC octagon since breaking his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
The Irish mixed martial artist was set to return to action in 2024 after coaching opposite Michael Chandler on the Ultimate Fighter, but once again was injured and pulled from the bout.
In recent weeks McGregor visited the White House where he spoke with media and U.S President Donald Trump about the political climate in his native country of Ireland. “Mystic Mac” also announced that he intends to run for President of Ireland.
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