It could soon be Oompa Loompa time for Johnny Depp.

[moe.ron]

It could soon be Oompa Loompa time for Johnny Depp.

Currently sailing the seas as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl's Captain Jack Sparrow, the thespian may be foregoing the rum for some everlasting gobstoppers--he's the frontrunner to play Willy Wonka in director Tim Burton's update of Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, sources confirmed Wednesday.

Earlier reports initially had Warner Bros. and the helmer eyeing Christopher Walken and Michael Keaton as everyone's favorite Candy Man.

But Burton and Warners sweetened on Depp following the blockbuster success of Pirates of the Carribbean, according to Daily Variety. That swashbuckling adventure has grossed over $200 million worldwide and already has a sequel in the works.

If Burton punches Depp's golden ticket, it would mark the versatile actor's fourth starring role for the director: Depp cut up the screen as the title character in 1990's Edward Scissorhands, played the legendary cross-dressing, angora-obsessed B-moviemaker in 1994's Ed Wood and kept his head as Ichibod Crane in 1999's Sleepy Hollow.

Depp also has bona fides as a candy lover, having showed off his sweet tooth in the 2000 Miramax confection, Chocolat.

Warners has long wanted to redo the twisted kiddie story, but Dahl was never a big fan of the 1971 adaptation, titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and starring Gene Wilder, which the author thought was half-baked (even though it's now considered a cult classic). Since his death, Dahl's estate has been hesitant to green-light another movie version.

Enter Burton, whose r?sum? includes such darkly stylish morsels as Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as manic comic gems like Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, all of which share Dahl's off-kilter sensibilities. Burton also produced the 1996 animated version of Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. With Burton on board, the family signed off on the remake.

Warners believes a new Chocolate Factory will not only generate big business at the box office, but also lead to a windfall in the ancillary department, including DVD and game sales, merchandising and maybe even a stage musical ? la Disney's The Lion King.

Wonka is being produced by Brad Grey, Michael Siegel (who reps the Dahl estate) and Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. The studio has tapped scribe Pamela Pettler to write the latest version.

If all goes well, expect to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Oompa Loompa its way into theaters sometime in 2005.