Netflix has recreated the voice of late actor Gene Wilder using artificial intelligence for a new Willy Wonka-themed reality series.
The streaming platform worked with ElevenLabs, a company specialising in AI-generated speech and voice-cloning technology, to recreate Wilder’s iconic voice. Wilder died in 2016 at the age of 83.
Wilder won global acclaim for portraying Willy Wonka in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The new reality series, Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, follows 12 golden ticket winners and their chosen partners as they compete in a series of challenges. One contestant will receive the grand prize at the end of the competition.
In the trailer, an AI-generated version of Wilder’s voice says: “A whole new generation of real-life golden ticket holders will compete for a life-changing prize or say a most unfortunate goodbye.”
The voice also invites viewers to “marvel at the magic” they remember as the competition brings new wonders to life.
The series will premiere on 23 September. It was produced in collaboration with the Gene Wilder Estate and also features Wilder’s former co-star Rusty Goffe, who returns as an Oompa Loompa.
Karen B Wilder, Gene Wilder’s wife, said audiences around the world continue to enjoy and draw inspiration from his performance as Willy Wonka more than five decades after the film’s release.
She said Wilder had a unique ability to bring humour, wonder and warmth to audiences, and that connection continues to resonate across generations.
Wilder joins several late Hollywood stars whose voices or likenesses have been recreated using AI technology. Carrie Fisher of Star Wars, Harold Ramis of Ghostbusters and Paul Walker of the Fast & Furious franchise are among those whose images or performances have received similar treatment.
The Willy Wonka character remains one of popular culture’s most enduring figures. Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet have also portrayed the famous chocolatier in more recent adaptations.
A Wonka-inspired attraction in Glasgow also drew widespread attention in 2024 after visitors criticised the event for failing to meet expectations. Organisers promoted it as a “chocolate fantasy like never before”, but attendees described the experience as disappointing. Images of the sparsely decorated warehouse venue later spread across social media and became the subject of widespread online jokes.
