Wilder endorses Johnny Depp

Gene Wilder has said that there is nobody better to fill his shoes as Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka.

Wilder, who played the factory owner in the 1971 adaptation of Dahl's Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, said: "If I were going to cast the movie I would cast Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka because I think he is wonderful. Mysterious - always - and magical."

Although he would not touch the casting decisions, Wilder is cynical about the motives behind the new movie. MRIB quote him as saying: "It used to be that they were almost as concerned with making a good films as a money maker. Today the money making comes first."

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory hits UK screens on July 29.