QUESTIONS have been raised about the legitimacy of a recently announced film featuring a character from Glasgow’s disastrous Willy Wonka experience.
On Tuesday, several media outlets ran stories announcing that a new horror film featuring The Unknown was set to be released this year – including The Guardian and The Mirror.
The Unknown is a fictional character created by AI as part of the script for the Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience event in Glasgow, which made headlines around the world after children and parents were left disappointed and bemused by the experience.
According to the AI script, The Unknown is an evil chocolate maker who lives inside the walls of the factory.
At the Glasgow event the character was seen sporting a silver mask and black cloak, appearing from behind a mirror to scare children.
READ MORE: Scottish TV producers accuse Channel 4 of ‘England-centric’ quota
However, news of the film’s development appears to be based off a single article published by horror movie news site Bloody Disgusting announcing that a film based on the Willy Wonka experience was in the works and due for release later this year.
It states that production company Kaledonia Pictures are involved in the project.
However, the company is not listed on Companies House and its website was registered on March 1, 2024.
There are no details concerning who set up the company nor who wrote the script for the proposed film.
Furthermore, the film is unlikely to feature Willy Wonka as the rights to the character are owned by Warner Bros.
READ MORE: Willy Wonka Glasgow: How a bizarre Scottish event went viral around the world
Indeed, the plot described by Kaledonia Pictures appears not to mention Willy Wonka at all.
A statement from Kaledonia Pictures said: “The film, gearing up for production and a late 2024 release, follows a renowned illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the tragic death of their son, Charlie.
“Desperate to escape their grief, the couple leave the world behind for the remote Scottish Highlands – where an unknowable evil awaits them.
“We are excited to begin production and look forward to sharing more with you as soon as possible. We are actually only a few miles from the event, so it is quite surreal to see Glasgow all over social media, worldwide.”
As one user on X/Twitter noted: "Once again, a singular internet article on one site is being taken as news.
"The company that is allegedly producing this film, Kaledonia Pictures, has no presence anywhere online".
While another asked: "What company is Kaledonia Pictures?
"They’re supposedly based in Scotland but I can’t find anything else about them. All information seems to come from this article and other articles reference the company from this article."
Kaledonia Pictures told STV the company which ran the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience are not involved in the movie “whatsoever”.
Kaledonia Pictures has been contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel