Netflix has teamed up with ElevenLabs to bring Gene Wilder’s voice back for their new reality competition series ‘Wonka’s The Golden Ticket’. This is the latest in a string of projects where AI technology is being used to resurrect the performances of deceased Hollywood stars.
The 1971 film ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ immortalized Wilder as the title character. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 83. The new production is being made in collaboration with the Roald Dahl Story Company, which was acquired by Netflix in 2021, and the Gene Wilder Estate.
Karen B Wilder, Gene’s widow, said, “More than five decades after Gene brought Willy Wonka to life, people of all ages and backgrounds around the world continue to find joy, laughter and inspiration in his performance.”
The series will feature Rusty Goffe reprising his role as an Oompa Loompa from the original film. ‘Wonka’s The Golden Ticket’ follows 12 golden-ticket winners, each accompanied by a partner, as they compete in a series of games, challenges and temptations inside Wonka’s fantastical world. Only one contestant will claim the grand prize.
Wilder, known for his acclaimed performances in ‘The Producers’, ‘Blazing Saddles’ and ‘Young Frankenstein’, joins other late Hollywood stars like Carrie Fisher, Harold Ramis, and Paul Walker whose voices or likenesses have been recreated using artificial intelligence.