At a recent party attended by industry heavy hitters, talk anxiously turned to when Timothée Chalamet would commit to another movie.
Hollywood’s biggest next-gen star wrapped production on Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” in December — and is already six long months into what is expected to be a one-year break, sources exclusively tell us. Chalamet has nothing definite lined up. And that has multiple studios and directors on edge.
A sequel to Chalamet’s 2023 hit, “Wonka,” which made $634.5 million worldwide, is in active development at Warner Bros. But sources tell Page Six Hollywood that the four-time Oscar nominee isn’t necessarily ready to return as the famed fictional chocolatier just yet.
And though he’s even been offered his first $25 million payday to star as a former MotoGP racer in James Mangold’s adrenaline-fueled heist thriller “High Side,” sources tell us that hasn’t got him champing at the bit to get back in front of the cameras. (Mangold directed Chalamet in the Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown.”) Chalamet is instead waiting for newbie writer Jaime Oliveira’s script for the project. “He’s being very picky,” said one Paramount insider at the power party. “And it’s making everyone crazy.”
Others with plans hinging on Chalamet’s next move are playing a waiting game. Paul King, who directed Chalamet in “Wonka” and will helm the sequel, appears to be pivoting to a Fred Astaire biopic that’s in development at Sony with Tom Holland as his next project.
Sources have told Page Six Hollywood that the Astaire film had begun bringing on some key staff as a sign it was moving ahead at the studio. But Sony insiders insisted that the film is still only in development.
Whatever the timing, knowledgeable sources say the “Marty Supreme” star is definitely making “Wonka 2,” and that he has a deal in place. Plus, he’s even meeting with King (“Paddington”) next week to discuss the next installment based on the Roald Dahl classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
But with no “Wonka 2” release date, it’s now a question of when. (Holland recently told GQ that he hopes to be in production on the Astaire biopic in January, which would make it impossible for King to shoot a “Wonka” sequel in 2026.)
Then again, who could blame the UTA-repped Chalamet for being so intentional at such a pivotal moment?
The star, 30, has previously sought Leonardo DiCaprio’s career advice and could be following the playbook that has made Leo his era’s biggest star and an Oscar winner: Only work with the industry’s best directors. (Chalamet has famously said Leo’s advice to him was, “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.”) But DiCaprio has also never made a family film, pre-branded franchise or a sequel. “Wonka 2” checks all three boxes.
“‘Wonka 2′ doesn’t feel like it’s about to happen, and obviously Warners would like it to happen,” says one top agent with insight into the cascade of outcomes hanging in the balance. “There’s a bunch of stuff he’s attached to, but nothing is fast and moving.”
One other project Chalamet is quietly attached to is “Lupin the Third” at Warner Bros. There’s no writer or director yet. But David Heyman (“Harry Potter”) is producing. Chalamet would star in and produce the film based on the adventures of the French master thief. Heyman and Chalamet formed a tight bond on “Wonka,” and both are no-brainers when it comes to attracting A-list directors.
And while it was announced this week at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival that Chalamet and Selena Gomez will star in an upcoming Illumination film, “Not Alone,” together, that most certainly represents voice work he wrapped long ago. (With Illumination films, voices are typically captured at the beginning of the years-long process, and then animators begin rendering the characters. “Not Alone” will hit theaters in 10 months, making it inconceivable that Chalamet hasn’t yet entered the studio.)
In the meantime, Chalamet isn’t hurting for money. One agent with a roster of A-list stars estimates that the Knicks fanatic made $10 million for his recent Kalshi ad campaign. (He took some heat for stumping for a gambling platform. Back in the day, DiCaprio was more discreet when he’d take home a seven-figure check for ads in Japan that the American moviegoing public never saw.)
But it’s a very different landscape these days. Unlike when DiCaprio was 30, there are fewer great scripts and projects to choose from and more branding opportunities abound. (Chalamet is also a global ambassador for Lucid and was a face of Bleu de Chanel.)
Chalamet’s “Dune” co-star Zendaya is in a similar boat: A busy recent run, but nothing new on the horizon.
“He’s got a ton of energy. He’s at the top of his game. I think if there was something he was excited about, he’d be shooting now,” says one person who has worked with Chalamet.
Reps for the star and Warner Bros. did not comment.
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