One of the most highly anticipated formats in this vein is Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, a Netflix series based on Roald Dahl’s original 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Netflix acquired The Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021). We discussed this in a previous issue, and now we can add that the show will debut on September 23, with a two-part finale streaming a week later on September 30.
The format—described, as usual, with the overused label of ‘social experiment’—is a competition show featuring 12 “golden ticket winners” along with a partner of their choosing, who will navigate a series of Wonka-esque temptations and challenges designed to push them both physically and psychologically. Not much else is known for now, so it is too early to tell whether the innovation is merely aesthetic or if there is something more compelling in the concept itself.
Actually, one other detail has been revealed, and it is causing quite a stir: the show’s voiceover will feature the voice of Gene Wilder (the unforgettable Willy Wonka from the 1971 film adaptation), recreated using AI. In a statement on behalf of the estate, Karen B. Wilder, Gene Wilder’s widow, praised the show for celebrating “the warmth and imagination that he brought to the role, introducing that magic to a new generation while honoring the fans who have cherished it for decades.”
This falls into a now widespread trend that I call “dead fake”: recreating the voices and faces of deceased actors or celebrities using advanced AI techniques. The list is already quite long: Ian Holm was ‘brought back to life’ for several sequences in the movie Alien: Romulus; German actress Christiane Maybach was ‘recreated’ for the 30th anniversary of the RTL soap opera Unter Uns; Agatha Christie ‘gives’ online video lessons for aspiring crime writers via the BBC Maestro; and, more recently, Val Kilmer reappeared in the film As Deep As the Grave (watch the trailer here).
This is a practice that will certainly spark debate and raise eyebrows. However, it is becoming increasingly common in scripted content—and from now on, in unscripted as well.
To read about 2 other brand-new French formats, go to espresso
Axel Fiacco
