LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE) Janelle Monae performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango by AT&T at Banc of California Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
I’m not entirely sure that we need another Willy Wonka movie. Although it’s been 13 years since we’ve gone to The Chocolate Factory, that mess with Johnny Depp back in 2005 was quite traumatizing. But, if Hollywood absolutely must tap this story a third time in its endless run of reboots, why not sprinkle it with a little Black girl magic? There’s been some chatter about Donald Glover possibly being the next Willy Wonka, but what about Janelle Monae?
To be clear, Donald honestly wouldn’t be a bad choice. He’s certainly the option we’re most excited about at present since, according to Collider, Ryan Gosling and Ezra Miller are also in the running. Ryan definitely has Gene Wilder’s wistful melancholy down, but I don’t know how he would be with the more eccentric aspects of Willy’s personality. And while Ezra could definitely pull off the awkward and excitable moments, Donald, in my mind, has what it takes to cover all of Willy’s moods. But Twitter offered up another suggestion in Janelle Monae that, honestly, could be genius.
A good Willy Wonka needs to be a mystery, and Janelle is as enigmatic as they come. For years, all we knew about the songstress was her music. She’s been very calculated about how much of her personal life is made public. And despite numerous questions about her love life from the days of Archandroid, she is only just now opening up about it.
Janelle’s also got a whimsical touch to her stage presence that draws audiences to her. Willy Wonka is an incredibly quirky character, which is something that Janelle has always been. Her artistic style has always come with a dash of the unexpected, which makes her performances that much better. You’re almost forced to listen to her and view her stage shows from an interpretive angle before you can really get into her natural vibe.
Not unlike Willy Wonka, Janelle’s creativity is always just slightly askew in an interesting way. You truly never know what she’s going to produce next, and it is always magic. Her fans can’t wait for the next project because we know she’s going to give us absolute audible excellence, and people that know her for her acting are just as curious about her musical side.
And if all of that weren’t enough, Janelle has absolutely got the right look for Willy. Check out a few of her pics from Instagram which practically scream Wilhemina Wonka.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkHc4g-Bn2_/?taken-by=janellemonae
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi5WM2hh5vO/?taken-by=janellemonae
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf9bcvVhF7i/?taken-by=janellemonae
And before you say, “You’re trying to take another job away from a Black man!” I’m not. I’m simply entertaining the idea of giving a dope opportunity to a capable Black woman. Not to mention, between Star Wars, Atlanta, and his music Donald will be alright. Nevertheless, I need whoever is in charge of casting to seriously consider Janelle for the lead role in the upcoming flick because the casting would be legendary.
