Netflix Brings Back Wonka With an AI Gene Wilder Voice
Willy Wonka is back with Gene Wilder's voice, ten years after the actor's death.
Netflix's "Wonka's The Golden Ticket" is a competition series, meaning real contestants play games on screen for a prize, loosely based on Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Variety. The host is not a living presenter. It is an artificial-intelligence recreation of Wilder's voice.
Wilder played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." He died in 2016 at age 83. The series includes a disclaimer stating the production received permission from Wilder's estate for the AI voice recreation, according to that same review published on 23 September 2026.
Netflix worked with voice company ElevenLabs to recreate the voice for the reality show, as reported by Variety in June and again in September Variety. The process is known as voice cloning. It uses recordings to build a synthetic version that can speak new lines.
Inside the show, players step inside Wonka's chocolate factory to face games, tests and temptations, Netflix says Netflix. There are 24 players entering the factory Netflix Tudum. Updated versions of the Oompa-Loompas, the factory workers from Dahl's stories, help run the chocolate factory.
Netflix says the series is premiering this fall Netflix Tudum. It released a first trailer in late August. The project follows Netflix's 2021 acquisition of The Roald Dahl Story Company, which gave the streamer control of Dahl's catalogue.
Variety's review was based on the first seven episodes. No total episode count has been confirmed in the verified materials.
What makes this stand out is the timing. In August, actors Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas called for a law governing AI voice cloning Variety. Their call adds context to a series built around the voice of an actor who cannot consent in person.
For viewers, this means a familiar factory realised as a game. Real people compete. A recreated voice guides them. An estate credit explains why.
