Netflix Revives Gene Wilder’s Voice as AI Willy Wonka for Upcoming Reality Show

Netflix has unveiled the first teaser for its upcoming reality show, Wonka’s Golden Ticket. In a rather unsettling move, the streaming service has employed AI to mimic the voice of the late Gene Wilder for the teaser narration. This choice highlights a troubling trend as Netflix shifts from being a premium content creator to resembling a budget broadcast network.

On June 30, fans of Wonka got their first glimpse of this new reality competition, which, similar to Squid Game: The Challenge, is rooted in a fictional universe where contestants face off in brutal and twisted challenges. This time, Golden Ticket draws inspiration from the beloved 1971 film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, featuring Gene Wilder as the whimsical chocolatier. Despite his passing in 2016, Wilder’s voice narrates the teaser, thanks to AI technology, as reported by an outlet.

Here’s the teaser:

My immediate reaction is one of distaste. I’d rather endure anything than listen to the voices of the deceased being resurrected by technology to promote a licensed reality show on Netflix. I will give credit to the AI tool used here: it captures the essence of how disinterested Wilder would likely have been in this project if he were still around.

Reports indicate that Wilder’s voice was recreated with the consent of his estate. His wife, Karen B. Wilder, expressed her delight that his voice will resonate with a “new generation.” It seems his voice will feature prominently throughout the series, not just in this teaser. Netflix collaborated with ElevenLabs, an AI audio company, to bring Wilder’s voice back to life. This company has previously worked with the estates of other notable figures, including Stan Lee and Michael Caine, on similar projects.

Even when estates approve the use of AI to resurrect deceased celebrities, as seen with Tupac and Val Kilmer, it still feels unsettling.

The practice of using the likenesses of famous deceased individuals to promote products or appear in new games and films raises significant ethical concerns. It suggests that popular culture has fragmented to the point where few individuals achieve true fame in the traditional sense, prompting companies to reach into the past to capitalize on the names and images of stars from a bygone era. This digital grave robbing is troubling.

Wonka’s Golden Ticket is set to premiere exclusively on Netflix on September 23. Personally, I’d prefer to revisit the original film instead.