Sam Mendes to direct 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' musical

He has been tipped to helm the next James Bond installment, Bond 24, straight after his debut 007 adventure "Skyfall", but it appears that British director Sam Mendes may have other plans.

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Kevin McCormick have announced that their production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will open at the London Palladium in June 2013 after a preview period. The new stage musical will be directed by Sam Mendes, with a book by David Greig and new songs from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Set and costume design will be by Mark Thompson with choreography by Peter Darling. Other members of the creative team include: Doug Besterman (orchestrations); Nicholas Skilbeck (Music Director); Paul Pyant (Lighting Designer); Paul Arditti (Sound Designer) and Jon Driscoll (Video and Projection Designer).

The mysterious Willy Wonka is opening his Chocolate Factory for just one day, and for Charlie Bucket it promises to be a mouth-watering chance to feast his eyes on sweets beyond his wildest imagination. Academy Award®-winning film and theatre director Sam Mendes will bring Roald Dahl’s much-loved classic to life in this world premiere stage production.

Tickets will go on sale to the public in October 2012.

Written by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was first published in 1964 in the US and in the UK in 1967. The book has been adapted into two major motion pictures: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005.

Thanks to `Samuel001` for the alert.

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