Netflix Revives Gene Wilder's Voice With AI for Wonka Show
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- Netflix partnered with ElevenLabs to AI-recreate Gene Wilder's voice for "Wonka's The Golden Ticket," an unscripted reality show premiering September 23 and produced by Eureka Productions.
- The competition will see 12 "Golden Ticket" winners and their partners compete in challenges over nine episodes inside a version of Wonka's Chocolate Factory, with a "life-changing prize" for the one winner.
- Karen B. Wilder, the late actor's widow, blessed the AI recreation on behalf of the Gene Wilder Estate, saying the show honors his performance and introduces it to a new generation.
- Rusty Goffe, who portrayed an Oompa Loompa in the 1971 feature, will reprise the role during the show's challenges.
- ElevenLabs has previously recreated the voices of Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, and Michael Caine, and announced the Wilder deal on the 55th anniversary of the 1971 film's premiere.
- The series was filmed in Australia and is Netflix's latest Roald Dahl adaptation since the streamer acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021.
Why it matters: ElevenLabs' latest estate-approved posthumous AI voice recreation — following Judy Garland, Burt Reynolds, and Michael Caine — establishes a template for deploying iconic performances indefinitely, with the Wilder family's blessing normalizing the practice for high-profile IP holders.
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