Netflix has released the first trailer for its upcoming Willy Wonka reality competition series, The Golden Ticket, sparking near-unanimous outrage on social media. The nine-part series, premiering in September, features a recreation of the late Gene Wilder's voice using artificial intelligence from ElevenLabs.
AI Recreation of Gene Wilder's Voice
Wilder, who died in 2016 at age 83, is best known for his role in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The Wilder Estate granted consent for the AI voice recreation, with his wife Karen B Wilder expressing she was 'delighted' to introduce her late husband's 'magic to a new generation.' Netflix worked closely with ElevenLabs to replicate Wilder's intonation for the series narration, according to Deadline.
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine faced scrutiny last year after making similar deals with ElevenLabs to create virtual versions of their voices; McConaughey is also an investor in the company.
The Golden Ticket Format
The competition series will see 12 contestants each bring a partner to navigate a new iteration of Wonka's Chocolate Factory, after Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021. Challenges will test participants 'physically, mentally, and morally,' with one winner receiving a cash prize. Rusty Goffe reprises his role as an Oompa Loompa from the 1971 film.
Social Media Backlash
Netflix subscribers heavily criticized the AI voice recreation. User @DreamLeaf5 described it as 'deeply evil,' while @LilithLovett called it 'AI necromantic slop.' Another X user wrote, 'I am so much angrier than I should be,' and Edd Coates commented, 'It's maddening to me that anyone could be okay with this. Five years ago, everyone would have called it horrific and disrespectful. Now we're just resurrecting the dead for “content.”'
Critics labeled the trailer 'nostalgia slop' and a clear attempt to replicate the success of Squid Game: The Challenge. Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook called the production 'craven' and 'degraded of the originality that burst from Roald Dahl's tale,' adding that the AI voice crossed a 'Rubicon.' She questioned why Netflix didn't hire a living actor like Timothée Chalamet or a Gene Wilder impersonator.
Release Details
The Golden Ticket premieres on Netflix on September 23, with a two-part finale on September 30.
