CHOCOLATE FACTORY Vid Launching 2005

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Thursday, September 2nd 2004 at 4:02 AM

Big surprise as the list of video games to film and vice versa continues this time it is a again a video game being released to coincide with a movie release as the highly anticipated Tim Burton version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is coming to the world of video games.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has awarded Global Star Software, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. the exclusive worldwide license to develop, publish and distribute videogames based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the launch of the videogame scheduled to coincide with the 2005 release of the film that stars Oscar nominated actor Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka.

Charlie will be played by 12-year-old British actor Freddie Highmore who also stars opposite Depp in this winter's film Finding Neverland.

The rest of the cast is rounded out by newcomers AnnaSophia Robb as Violet Beauregarde, Jordan Fry as Mike Teavee, Julia Winter as Veruca Salt and Philip Wiegratz as Augustus Gloop.

Global Star Software will manage the game development for next generation consoles, handheld and PC. The console games will be developed by High Voltage Software, and the handheld and PC games by Backbone Entertainment.

"We are very excited to be working with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on a videogame adaptation of Tim Burton's vision of the classic 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,'" said Christoph Hartmann, Senior Vice President of Publishing at Global Star Software. "'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' has entertained audiences around the globe for over forty years, and the bright and colorful settings, iconic storytelling and beloved characters are a perfect match for this medium."

"The unique nature of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory content offers a rare opportunity to create a great interactive extension of the fiction," said Jason Hall, Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "Working with Global Star, we look forward to launching an engaging video game based on this extremely imaginative property."