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As kids, we grew up with Roald Dahl classics, including Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and especially 1964’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But a huge secret was recently revealed: Dahl imagined Charlie as a Black kid.
The best-selling author’s widow Liccy Dahl revealed the news on BBC Radio 4’s Today show during a Roald Dahl Day celebration. She said that he didn’t stick with it because his agent didn’t believe a Black Charlie would appeal to readers.
“I can tell you that it was his agent who thought it was a bad idea, when the book was first published, to have a Black hero,” Dahl’s biographer Donald Sturrock said. “She said people would ask: ‘Why?'”
But as we all know, adding a bit of #BlackBoyJoy would add a modern twist and do numbers at the box office. Here are our top six picks for a potential remake.
Caleb McLaughlin
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The Stranger Things kid has the perfect amount of wit and sarcasm to bring extra hilarity to Charlie’s story.
Miles Brown
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As Jack Johnson from Black-ish we’ve seen Brown grow up right in front of our eyes. His awkward charm would fit in perfectly with Charlie’s character.
Alex Hibbert
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As little Chiron in Moonlight, Hibbert won over the audience. We could definitely see him bringing a complex, layered portrayal of Charlie’s backstory.
Benjamin Flores Jr.
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The young talent known best from his work on Nickelodeon, he’s also a talented rapper—can we get a hip hop remix on the traditional songs from the movie we know and love?
Sayeed Shahidi
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The younger Shahidi is making a name for himself; Charlie would be perfect role to level him up.
Lonnie Chavis
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We know Chavis as nine-year-old Randall in This is Us. We know he’d bring the same sweet humor to the role of Charlie.
