The Rock reveals Tim Burton wanted him to play Willy Wonka

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has revealed he very nearly played Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s iteration of the iconic film before the role went to Johnny Depp.

His chocolate-loaded cheat meals are an internet sensation, but before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s sweet tooth became legendary, he almost played an on-screen chocolatier.

In a surprising what-might-have-been career titbit, the retired wrestler today revealed he was once considered for the role of Tim Burton’s offbeat Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp.

The film, released in 2005, was the second adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with the first of course starring Gene Wilder as the wacky confectioner in 1971 – a portrayal which went on to spark a series of viral memes.

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The Rock as Willy Wonka? Picture: Getty Images.

We can’t see it. Picture: AP Photo.

Sharing the revelation on his Instagram this week while praising the 1971 film, The Rock reflected on the moment in time.

“Some cool history – back in the early 2000s, iconic director, Tim Burton had considered me to play Willy Wonka in his remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” he said.

“I remember thinking ‘HOLY SH*T, I’M IN.’ But that was many years ago when I was just starting out in Hollywood, with no foundation of global box office strength or any real acting experience to pull it off.”

He went on: “The fact that Tim even considered me (albeit I’m sure he considered for all of 7 seconds) sure meant a helluva lot to me as I was just breaking in to the business with no idea what the future had in store.

“I’ll always raise a glass to the dreams that don’t come true, because sometimes they’re the best thing that never happened,” he wrote, rounding his post out with the hashtag “#BigBrownBaldTattooedWonka”.

It’s certainly up there with one of the furthest characters The Rock fans could possibly imagine, especially given when it was snapped up by Depp, he embodied the character with eccentricity to the extreme, complete with an exaggerated Anna Wintour-inspired bob cut and giant false teeth.

His depiction of the iconic character divided fans, with Gene Wilder himself even lashing out at the film in what would be his final interview in 2013.

“I think it’s an insult,” Wilder, who died at age 83 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease said of the Johnny Depp-starring remake.

“Johnny Depp, I think, is a good actor, but I don’t care for that director (Tim Burton). He’s a talented man, but I don’t care for him doing stuff like he did.”

Gene Wilder was not a fan of the 2005 Willy Wonka film. Picture: Supplied.

Before Tim Burton jumped on board for the Warner Bros film, casting for the role of Wonka was reportedly discussed with a handful of actors including: Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, Leslie Nielsen, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Patrick Stewart, and Adam Sandler.

Dustin Hoffman and Marilyn Manson also had their eye on the role.

But, according to a 2014 ET Online article, Burton had always envisaged the role going to Depp – with Johnson as a back up in case he wasn’t available.

The Rock was reportedly Burton’s ‘back up’ in case Depp wasn’t available. Picture: AFP.

At this point, Depp and Burton had already teamed up on 1990s Edward Scissorhands, 1994’s Ed Wood, and 1999’s Sleepy Hollow, and would later collaborate on 2005’s Corpse Bride, 2007’s Sweeney Todd, 2010s Alice in Wonderland, and 2012’s Dark Shadows.

While it may be difficult to imagine The Rock as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film, he did go on to play the Tooth Fairy five years later.

Since then, he’s starred in a number of kids films, including the Jumanji franchise which followed on from the first instalment in 1995, starring Robin Williams.