Netflix has said it will use artificial intelligence to recreate the voice of the late Gene Wilder for a new reality TV series set in the world of Willy Wonka – a decision that has divided fans and reignited debate about the use of AI in entertainment.
The actor, who died in 2016, played the eccentric chocolatier in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Now, an AI-generated version of his voice, produced by audio firm ElevenLabs, will feature in Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, a series in which contestants take part in “a series of Wonka’s temptations and challenges” for a final prize.
“Netflix will use AI to recreate Gene Wilder's voice for a Wonka reality show, sparking fan backlash.”
Wilder appears with the consent of his estate. His wife, Karen B. Wilder, said she was “delighted” the series “celebrates the imagination” he brought to the role. But on social media, some fans were less enthusiastic. One commenter described the use of AI as “disrespectful”, calling it “a plastic substitute”. Another said: “In the end, it still sounds like every robotic AI voice you have heard.”
Others drew comparisons to the disastrous “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” event in Glasgow in 2024, which went viral for dramatically failing to deliver on its promises. “Perhaps the Wonka experience was better than this (not that it’s saying much),” one user posted alongside a picture of the Glasgow fiasco.
The announcement follows other recent attempts to bring back the voices of former stars using AI. In October 2024, Sir Michael Parkinson’s son defended the use of AI to recreate the chat show host’s voice for a new interview podcast series. Jocelyn Burnham, who specialises in how AI is used in arts and culture, said studios appeared to be “testing the waters” for what audiences might accept.
She cited Disney’s digital recreation of James Earl Jones’s voice as Darth Vader in the 2022 series Obi-Wan Kenobi as evidence that audiences are not “automatically hostile” to all uses of AI in screen performances. But she added that while there is no “settled set of industry norms” around where audiences draw the line, the more loved the voice or character is, “the more scrutiny the resulting product is likely to face”.
For now, Netflix’s golden ticket gamble has left fans wondering whether the magic of Wilder’s performance can be recaptured by a machine.