Hollywood finds new taste for Dahl's chocolate factory

Though it has attained cult status, the film version of the classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was never a favourite with its author, Roald Dahl.

Unabashed, Hollywood is having another stab at turning the bitter-sweet story of a tour around Willy Wonka's fabulously sinister kingdom into a movie. The director Tim Burton, whose dark masterpieces include Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, is expected to meet representatives of the Dahl estate in the next few weeks to confirm the deal.

Plan B, the production company of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, is believed to be involved in the project and filming will probably begin next year. If the film succeeds there is a possibility that a musical based on the book may be made.

Justin Somper, a spokesman for the Roald Dahl Foundation, confirmed yesterday that Hollywood was working on a version of the Chocolate Factory and of a second Dahl book, the BFG. He said: "The timescale is still not clear but it's very exciting that these films are being made."

Liz Attenborough, Dahl's former publisher at Puffin and a trustee of the Roald Dahl museum and literary centre, said: "Roald himself didn't love the original. He thought it placed too much emphasis on Willy Wonka and not enough on Charlie. For him the book was about Charlie. So I think Roald would have certainly liked the idea of it being redone and Tim Burton is a very creative director."

During his lifetime Dahl grew suspicious of the film industry. As well as being disappointed at the emphasis of the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - for which he wrote the screenplay - he was unhappy when Gene Wilder rather than Spike Milligan was chosen to play Wonka.

The film version of his book The Witches, directed by Nicolas Roeg, caused him even more anguish. At a preview the author was moved to tears by Roeg's interpretation of the melancholy conclusion of his book, in which a boy is turned into a mouse at a witches' convention - but was then horrified when the director apologetically showed him the alternative happy ending which the Hollywood money men demanded.

Since his death in 1990 Dahl's widow Liccy has vetted offers to make big screen versions of her late husband's work and has turned down many offers. But she is also keen that the books be turned into good films to allow Dahl's work to find an ever larger audience.

She met Burton in 1992 when he was being lined up to direct the adaptation of Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. At first she was nonplussed. She said in an interview: "He looks just like Edward Scissorhands and I thought, 'My God, what is this loony?' He couldn't string two words together."

But he won her round when he told her that the story of the lonely James who flees his horrible aunts to find friendship with the bugs that live in a giant peach gave him hope when he was a child.

Attention will now focus on who might play Wonka. Marilyn Manson has thrown his hat into the ring, but the rocker may be considered too dark even for one of Dahl's creations.