Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 30
Netflix Sets 'Wonka’s The Golden Ticket' for Sept. 23 as AI Gene Wilder Voice Debuts
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jun 30

Netflix Sets 'Wonka’s The Golden Ticket' for Sept. 23 as AI Gene Wilder Voice Debuts

3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Jun 30

Summary

  • September 23 is the premiere date for Netflix’s “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket,” a reality competition whose new teaser uses an AI-generated Gene Wilder voiceover.
  • ElevenLabs created the voice with Wilder family consent, extending Netflix’s 2021 Roald Dahl partnership after similar recreated-voice work tied to Michael Caine and Stan Lee productions.
  • 12 golden ticket winners will each bring a partner into what Netflix calls a “high-stakes social experiment,” with one champion remaining after a two-part finale on September 30.
  • The show follows Netflix’s “Squid Game” reality adaptation and sits alongside a separate Roald Dahl project, the animated “Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory,” due in 2027.

Insights

After Squid Game's controversies, can Netflix's Wonka challenge avoid a soulless aftertaste?
Is reviving Gene Wilder's voice with AI a heartfelt tribute or a digital haunting?
With AI voices on the rise, are living actors facing a new kind of replacement?