Netflix has released the trailer for “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket,” an upcoming reality competition show that pits contestants against each other in challenges taking place inside a replica of Roald Dahl’s iconic chocolate factory. The nine-episode show will stream on Sept. 23.
Twelve lucky “Golden Ticket winners” and their chosen partners will be put to the test in the series, competing for “Wonka’s life-changing prize.” (In the trailer, the undisclosed sum is described as a “lifetime supply of money.”)
There are features straight out of the original “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” like a game involving lickable wallpaper and a massive “Wonkavision” set piece. The competition heats up as players are eliminated, and an invisible, ominous host narrates the proceedings. It’s like “Squid Game” but with Oompa Loompas!
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That omniscient voice is an AI recreation of the late Gene Wilder, who originated the role of Willy Wonka in the 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and who died in 2016. Wilder’s estate worked with the AI company ElevenLabs to generate a replica of the actor’s voice. “We are delighted that ‘Wonka’s The Golden Ticket’ celebrates 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,” said his wife, Karen B. Wilder, in a statement.
“Wonka’s The Golden Ticket” was produced in Australia and boosted by a local tax incentive. The production company is Eureka Productions, and executive producers include Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost, David Tibballs, Alison Holloway and Emer Harkin.
Watch the trailer below.