Netflix has released the first trailer for its upcoming reality series The Golden Ticket, a nine-part competition show set to premiere in September, but the use of artificial intelligence to recreate the late Gene Wilder's voice has sparked near-unanimous outrage on social media.
AI recreation of Gene Wilder's voice
The show features a recreation of Wilder's voice, obtained with consent from the Wilder Estate. Wilder's wife, Karen B Wilder, said she was 'delighted' to introduce her late husband's 'magic to a new generation'. Netflix worked with AI audio company ElevenLabs to replicate Wilder's intonation for the series narration, according to Deadline.
Wilder, best known for his role in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, died in 2016 at age 83. Actors Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine also faced scrutiny last year for similar deals to create virtual versions of their voices; McConaughey is an investor in ElevenLabs.
Reality show format and contestants
The Golden Ticket will see 12 contestants each bring a partner to step through a new iteration of Wonka's Chocolate Factory, after Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021. They will face challenges designed to test them 'physically, mentally, and morally' for a cash prize. Rusty Goffe reprises his role as an Oompa Loompa from the 1971 film.
Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook criticized the show, calling it 'craven' and 'degraded of the originality that burst from Roald Dahl's tale'. She noted that the trailer combines iconic set design with a game-show aesthetic and argued that using AI was unnecessary when living actors like Timothée Chalamet are available.
Social media backlash
Social media users labeled the trailer 'nostalgia slop' and a bid to replicate the success of Squid Game reality shows. @DreamLeaf5 described the AI recreation as 'deeply evil', while @LilithLovett called it 'AI necromantic slop'. Another X user wrote, 'I am so much angrier than I should be,' and Edd Coates commented, 'It's maddening to me that anyone could be okay with this. Five years ago, everyone would have called it horrific and disrespectful. Now we're just resurrecting the dead for “content”.'
Premiere details
The Golden Ticket premieres on Netflix on September 23, with a two-part finale on September 30.
