it's revealed Dr. Wonka has been following his son's career with framed newspaper articles on the walls. Burton would later reflect, "I think all artistic endeavors are a way to resolve things, a form of therapy, a fantasy of resolving something. That's why I chose to resolve it that way." The Dahl estate was conflicted about the addition of Wilbur Wonka but ultimately decided to support Burton's vision. Warner Bros. and the director held differences over the characterizations of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka. The studio wanted to entirely delete Mr. Bucket and make Willy Wonka the idyllic father figure Charlie had longed for his entire life. Burton believed that Wonka would not be a good father, finding the character similar to a recluse. Burton said, "In some ways, he's more screwed up than the kids." Warner Bros. also wanted Charlie to be a whiz kid, but Burton resisted the characterization. He wanted Charlie to be an average child who would be in the background and not get in trouble. Casting Prior to Burton's involvement, Warner Bros. considered or discussed Willy Wonka with 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, three members of Monty Python (John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin), as well as Patrick Stewart, and Adam Sandler. Dustin Hoffman and Marilyn Manson reportedly sought the role as well. Pitt's production company, Plan B Entertainment, however, stayed on to co-finance the film with Warner Bros. Michael Jackson actively sought the role and secretly recorded an original soundtrack for the film at a small studio in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. did not want Jackson for the role, claiming that it would not be marketable for Jackson to be the leading role in a family film. However, they "went nuts" over the soundtrack and offered to acquire the songs in addition to a small role elsewhere in the film. Jackson was upset and shelved the songs. Johnny Depp was the only actor Burton considered for the role, although Dwayne Johnson was Burton's second choice in case Depp was unavailable. This marked the first time Burton did not face pushback from the studio for wanting to cast Depp, as the blockbuster success of Pirates of the Caribbean had Warner Bros. enthused about Depp being in the leading role. It was Depp's