The film tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character from Roald Dahl’s novel ‘Charlie and the Chocolate factory. It stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role, along with newcomer Calah Lane and an ensemble cast including Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.
The city became a winter wonderland with iconic locations such as Parade Gardens and Bath Street being dressed in artificial snow for the filming.
The presence of Timothee Chalamet generated great excitement and crowds flocked to Bath to try and get a glimpse of the star who plays Willy Wonka in the film.
Filming was co-ordinated by Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Film Office, which promotes the district as a film and TV location and helps productions to access public areas with the minimum of disruption to residents and businesses.
Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development, said: “Bath continues to be a magnet to film makers. Already well known for period dramas such as Bridgerton and contemporary dramas such as McDonald and Dodds, Wonka shows Bath can also provide spectacular backdrops to fantasy worlds as well.”
“Film production not only generates direct economic advantages for the city but also serves as a catalyst for tourism growth.”
The economic impact of filming is now well established. Warner Brothers, the makers of Wonka recently stated that their other big hit this year, the Barbie movie, contributed more than £80 million to the UK economy and created 685 jobs.
The economic impact of screen tourism in Bath can be seen in the large numbers of Bridgerton related tours that take place in the city. And it is hoped that Wonka will give tourists another reason to visit and enjoy everything Bath has to offer.
Kathryn Davis, CEO of Visit West, said: “Screen tourism, or setjetting, has been identified globally as a trend and a motivator for inspiring visits that is only growing. We have seen the impact particularly of Bridgerton, but content created for our VisitBath website focussing on film locations have a huge impact.
With such a star studded cast and being one of the year’s most anticipated family films, we are confident that Wonka, showcasing Bath on the big screen, will be a catalyst to visit for many keen to tick off the location spots. We’ve already published our location blog with help from Bath Film Office, and now can’t wait to catch the film and develop new ideas to encourage visitors, particularly post-Christmas.”
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