The County Derry musician, behind the "Father Ted" theme tune, penned seven tunes for "Wonka" a companion movie to the original 1971 movie based on Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
The trailer for the upcoming musical fantasy "Wonka" starring Timothée Chalamet has been released along with the news that seven of the movie's tunes have been penned by The Divine Comedy frontman from Derry, Neil Hannon.
While the trailer doesn't feature any songs with lyrics, Playbill reports that Neil Hannon has lent his talent to this musical movie.
"Wonka" follows the story of Roald Dahl's character, Willy Wonka, before he opened his chocolate factory. The movie gives an insight into Wonka's early life describing the man as "something of a magician, inventor and chocolate maker". The clip reveals the young chocolatier comes up against a confectionery cabal in the film and teams up with a young girl.
The 1971 movie, starring Gene Wilder featured songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, who had earlier collaborated on Broadway's "The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd" and "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off". Several of the Willy Wonka film songs were interpolated into the 2017 Broadway musical "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which additionally featured new songs by "Hairspray" and "Some Like It Hot" songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
Wonka is set to hit movie theatres on December 15, 2023.
Watch the trailer for "Wonka" here:
Meanwhile, while "Wonka" is in post-production and Neil Hannon's new soundtrack songs will be revealed this December, the Irish musician a new piece work that will be premiered on Friday by the Ulster Orchestra. He told the Belfast Telegraph that the piece, commissioned by the Orchestra and entitled "As the Sun Brightens, the Shadows Deepen" is partially inspired by the memory of his father.
Neil Hannon.
His father, a Church of Ireland Bishop died in January 2022 after a long illness.
“At the reception after my dear father’s funeral early last year, the conversation turned to a film he was rumored to have narrated in the 1960s, and which had something to do with John Hume and Derry, where I was born." Hannon said.
“By the following day, a resourceful niece of mine had found the film titled 'A City Solitary', which was based on John Hume’s research for his thesis on Derry, in 1963.
“It was indeed narrated by my dad and it was lovely to hear his voice as a young man, with a commentary in a Pathe news style and spoken with his soft Ulster lilt.
“I’d just been commissioned to write something for the Ulster Orchestra and this seemed like a great jumping-off point.
“A film about the history of the city of my birth, based on John Hume’s research and narrated by my dad. Perfect.”
He added: “By interweaving the music and the speech, I hope that I have created something that is greater than the sum of its parts.
“What that something is, I am not altogether sure. I hope to find out this Friday.”
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