Following the massive success of 2023’s Wonka -starring Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane and Hugh Grant – a new adaptation of Road Dahl’s iconic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is coming early 2027.
First published in 1964, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was written by legendary author Roald Dahl, and depicts the impoverished Charlie Bucket’s tour through the fantastical chocolate factory of Willy Wonka. After the other members of the tour are picked off thanks to their character flaws, Wonka declares Charlie his heir and the new owner of the factory.
The novel has had several successful movie adaptations – including 1971’s Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and 2023’s musical prequel Wonka – but it’s another medium that will soon see the story brought to life once again.
New Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Graphic Novel Coming Soon
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A new comic adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is coming soon, as a new graphic novel tells the story of Charlie’s adventures alongside Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and Grandpa Joe.
Coming from Insha Fitzpatrick (The Girl Who Loved Monsters, Hanging with Vampires) and Kitt Thomas (Stacey’s Extraordinary Words, My Fade Is Fresh), the graphic novel will release in early 2027. The book’s summary reads:
Step inside the doors of MR. WILLY WONKA’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY as you’ve never seen it before, in this dazzling graphic novel brimming with vivid color and boundless wonder, adapted from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Only five lucky children will be allowed inside the mysterious factory, to be selected based on who can find the five golden tickets tucked into Mr. Wonka’s chocolate bars. Those children are Augustus Gloop, a glutton for chocolate; Veruca Salt, a girl spoiled rotten by her parents; Violet Beauregarde, a champion gum-chewer; Mike Teavee, a television fiend; and Charlie Bucket, a boy who is honest and kind, and good and ready for the most extraordinary thrill of his life.
Enter a world where chocolate waterfalls cascade into chocolate rivers, where behind every door lies a new confectionary delight, and where sensational surprises beyond your wildest imagination await.
Step inside the doors of MR. WILLY WONKA’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY as you’ve never seen it before, in this dazzling graphic novel brimming with vivid color and boundless wonder, adapted from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Only five lucky children will be allowed inside the mysterious factory, to be selected based on who can find the five golden tickets tucked into Mr. Wonka’s chocolate bars. Those children are Augustus Gloop, a glutton for chocolate; Veruca Salt, a girl spoiled rotten by her parents; Violet Beauregarde, a champion gum-chewer; Mike Teavee, a television fiend; and Charlie Bucket, a boy who is honest and kind, and good and ready for the most extraordinary thrill of his life.
Enter a world where chocolate waterfalls cascade into chocolate rivers, where behind every door lies a new confectionary delight, and where sensational surprises beyond your wildest imagination await.
The cover art shows Charlie holding a gleaming golden ticket while the inscrutable Wonka smiles at the reader, with the titular Chocolate Factory releasing glittery vapor into the sky behind them.
New Comic’s Black Protagonist Was Roald Dahl’s Original Vision
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Notably, the new graphic novel breaks from the tradition of prior adaptations by depicting Charlie Bucket as Black, restoring Roald Dahl’s original vision for the character. As reported by The Guardian (covering a BBC Radio 4 interview), Dahl’s wife and biographer have confirmed that the author originally intended to write the story about a Black protagonist, but was dissuaded by his agent.
This original vision for the story saw its protagonist become trapped in a chocolate mold, with the University of South Carolina’s Catherine Keyser telling The New York Times that the initial ideas acted as “a really powerful racial allegory” for racial stereotyping and prejudiced expectations limiting the potential of Black people.
One idea that DID make it into the published novel was that the Oompa-Loompas were “African pygmies.” Ahead of the movie’s adaptation to film in 1971, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People expressed concern over the depiction, citing the use of stereotypes and implications of slavery.
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In response, Dahl rewrote the characters from 1973 onwards as fictional, white-skinned beings from “Loompaland,” stating: “It didn’t occur to me that my depiction of the Oompa-Loompas was racist, but it did occur to the NAACP and others … which is why I revised the book.”
This was just one of many incidents in which Dahl has been criticized for apparent prejudice, with a particular prevalence of anti-Semitic sentiments in his public statements.
It’s important to note that the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory graphic novel is an adaptation of the novel that fans know and love, not Dahl’s earlier draft, with artist Katelan Thomas’ Amazon profile emphasizing their mission “to celebrate Black culture with their drawings and to encourage inclusion in all forms of art, as they found it hard to see themself properly represented in the media they enjoyed growing up.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Graphic Novel is coming from Viking Books for Young Readers on April 6, 2027.
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