Netflix uses AI-generated Gene Wilder voice for Willy Wonka reality show, sparking controversy

Netflix is using an AI-generated Gene Wilder voice in its Willy Wonka reality show

A new teaser trailer confirmed that Wonka's The Golden Ticket will premiere on Netflix on September 23rd, following its Squid Game reality show in the trend of creating real competitions based on fictional torture scenarios. While the sets seen in the trailer are real and not some Glasgow-style AI fakes, the voiceover is AI-generated. Deadline reports that Netflix worked with AI audio company ElevenLabs with consent from Wilder's family, after working on productions recreating the voice of Michael Caine and Stan Lee. It also continues Netflix's 2021 partnership with the Roald Dahl company, and is separate from the Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory animated feature that will arrive in 2027. As for the show itself, Netflix says its "high-stakes social experiment" will feature 12 "lucky" golden ticket winners plus their chosen partner in the competition, with one champion left standing a week later during the two-part finale on September 30th.

Netflix used AI to put Gene Wilder's voice into a new reality show - Engadget

Netflix has worked with ElevenLabs to develop a recreation of Gene Wilder's voice for use in an upcoming unscripted reality show inspired by Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wilder played chocolate factory owner Willy Wonka in the 1971 film adaptation of the book and the gen-AI version of his voice will be used in a competition program with challenges inspired by the both the book and the film. Variety reported that the recreation was done in collaboration with Wilder's estate and with the approval of his wife, which does seem like the bare minimum of common decency when recreating a deceased performer. But as so often happens when I hear about AI-generated imitations of celebrities, my biggest question is: why? The AI-generated version of Wilder's voice appears to be in use in the show's trailer, and it does sound like his take on Willy Wonka. But it's eerie to hear that familiar voice narrating B-roll of a set that looks just like a production exec's idea of whimsy. And it's true that his portrayal of the chaotic chocolatier was one of Wilder's more iconic roles (although he's also very well-known for his many appearances across the hilarious filmography of Mel Brooks). But Willy Wonka originated in a book and is ripe for re-interpretation by other performers. Wilder might have been the best to do it, but he's not the only actor to embody the character to date. My immediate reaction is that paying to try and recapture a particular performance with AI is both a stunt to draw attention and a way to avoid paying a real actor to do a similar job. I'm willing to be wrong and for this to be tastefully done in a way that fans and AI critics alike will appreciate. But I'm not expecting that.

I'm an AI fan, but Netflix's use of an AI-generated Gene Wilder voice for its Willy Wonka reality show broke me -- and we've officially gone too far

55 years ago, the legendary Gene Wilder invited us to join him in "a world of pure imagination." Now, a disembodied AI recreation of his sonorous vocals is inviting us to join him in his "my newest wonders beyond imagination." But there's little-to-nothing imaginative about the use of an AI-generated version of Wilder's voice to help sell Netflix subscribers on a new Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-themed reality show, and, quite honestly, I hate everything about it. To catch you up, this new show, which is set to air in September on one of the best streaming services, Netflix, borrows sets (recreations), themes, and even one living actor who played an Oompa Loompa from the original 1971 film to create a reality show that it hopes will somehow, if not match, approach the charm and danger of the original film. Not getting the point Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, based on the Roald Dahl bookCharlie and the Chocolate Factory, is a commentary on wealth, poverty, family, risk, and cruelty, all wrapped in a candy-covered fantasy. The protagonist, Charlie Bucket, is so poor he lives in a ramshackle London cottage with multiple generations of family members, including a grandfather who has not left his bed in years. Meanwhile, Wonka is finally opening up his secretive factory to a select group of the public, chosen at random via golden tickets hidden in some of his candy. I know, it sounds like a confection, but the first scene in which Wilder appears gives you a hint that this is not your typical children's story. When all the winners, including Charlie, arrive, Wonka (Wilder) unsteadily walks out while using a cane to greet them. As he approaches the gate, Wilder loses his grip on the cane and falls forward, but instead of face-planting, he does an effortless tumble and is suddenly upright and boisterous. I tell you all this because there is so much complexity and nuance in that one scene and virtually all of it engineered by Wilder's performance. Throughout the film, his face and especially his voice drive the narrative and mood, yo-yoing it between playful host and sinister guide who keeps losing children to one self-imposed calamity after another. Never before or since have I seen a character in a children's film swing so wildly from gentle and childlike to ominous. It's a wonder the Academy didn't recognize his performance. Fast forward more than half a century to this streaming show, which uses Wilder's voice with the permission of his family; you can get your first sample of it in the new show trailer (above). Created by increasingly well-known ElevenLabs, the voice is, in my opinion, a poor recreation at best, but I guess I might also call it unmistakably Wilder-like. It's also depressing. The thing about Wilder's real voice in films like Willy Wonka, The Producers, Stir Crazy, and Young Frankenstein is that it could be wildly emotional. Wilder as a hysteric was often the funniest thing you had ever seen. No one went off the rails like Gene Wilder, but also few other actors could express such warmth and compassion, and sometimes he did it all in a single scene. At the end of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka discovers Charlie is stealing his everlasting gobstopper to deliver it to Wonka's chief competitor. His anger at Charlie is terrifying, but as soon as Charlie leaves the candy behind, Wonka (Wilder) transforms, and the compassion and joy in his voice is something to behold. The AI Wilder voice in this trailer is devoid of passion, pathos, or really any recognizable human emotion. It's a soulless Gene Wilder. Look, there's no doubt the power of AI is transforming life and culture. It lets us do things we never thought possible. It's a co-worker, a companion, a sleuth, a coder, and a creator, but we are now at the point where we must ask ourselves: Just because AI can, should it? I guess we can ask a similar question about the AI-generated Val Kilmer in the unfortunately titled As Deep as the Grave. While I can understand if Kilmer had completed some filming and they wanted to bridge the gap in scenes filmed after his death, this full-scale recreation, even with the estate's permission, seems wrong. I love these actors, but none are irreplaceable, and using their likenesses and voices simply to generate nostalgia and sell a product feels very wrong, and certainly not the best use of AI (and all the resources behind it). Surely, we can agree that it's often better to let the dead stay dead and not try to resurrect a simulacrum of their essence through the power of AI. The results are, to be honest, rather like the work of Baron Von Frankenstein: a monstrous creation that probably has no place on earth.

Netflix Wonka Show Uses AI To Bring Back Gene Wilder For Teaser

Netflix has released the first teaser for its upcoming reality show, Wonka's Golden Ticket. And because the future is terrible, Netflix used AI to copy the late Gene Wilder's voice to narrate the teaser. It's yet one more sign of the streaming giant's slide from a high-end, premium content creator to a cheap, knock-off broadcast network. On June 30, Netflix showed Wonka fans their first real look at its next big reality competition show which, like Squid Game: The Challenge, is based on a fictional franchise built around people getting picked off one by one in cruel, twisted challenges. This time around, Golden Ticket is inspired by the classic 1971 film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which starred Gene Wilder as the eccentric but lovable confectioner Willy Wonka. And despite dying back in 2016, Wilder narrates this Golden Ticket teaser thanks(?) to the grim power of AI, as reported by Deadline. Here's the teaser: My gut reaction to this is that it's horrible. I'd rather eat glass than listen to dead people have their voices resurrected via computer to chat about a licensed reality show on Netflix. I'll at least give the AI tool used in this teaser credit: It perfectly recreated just how lazy and uninterested Wilder would have actually been in this abomination if he were still alive and was paid to promote it. Deadline reports that Wilder's voice was recreated with the permission of his estate. His wife Karen B. Wilder said she was "delighted" that the actor's voice will get to reach a "new generation." His voice will apparently play a larger role in the rest of the series, not just this teaser. Netflix reportedly also worked closely with ElevenLabs, an AI audio company, to recreate Wilder's voice. The company has worked with Stan Lee's estate and Michael Caine on similar projects. You might have heard that an AI version of the latter is narrating a new audiobook of the Odyssey ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's latest Hollywood blockbuster. Even if the members of an actor or musician's estate sign off on using AI tools to resurrect deceased celebrities, as we saw with Tupac and Val Kilmer recently, I can't help but feel grossed out by all of this. Seeing companies puppet famous dead people from the past to shill products or have them appear in new games or movies is both nasty and also seems like a giant red flag that popular culture has splintered so much that few people are becoming truly famous in the traditional, large-scale sense. So companies are looking to the graveyard to pull out stars from the era of the monoculture to try and make a few bucks on their name and likeness while they are still valuable. Digital grave robbing is gross, man. Wonka's Golden Ticket airs exclusively on Netflix on September 23. I'll just watch the original movie instead.

Willy Wonka Competition Show at Netflix Uses AI to Re-Create Gene Wilder's Voice

Netflix has unveiled a first look at its forthcoming competition show based on Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory -- and also a first listen, which might be the key element here. Titled Wonka's The Golden Ticket, the unscripted series uses the re-created voice of actor Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in the 1971 movie, as a key part of the game. Netflix and Eureka Productions, which is behind The Golden Ticket, got permission from Wilder's estate and worked with AI company ElevenLabs to re-create the late actor's voice. The series, which Netflix ordered last year, will feature 12 golden ticket winners and a partner of their choice facing a series of challenges inspired by the film and Roald Dahl's source novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021). The show will also feature sets inspired by the 1971 movie, where "contestants must navigate a series of Wonka's games, tests, and temptations designed to challenge them physically, mentally, and morally." A teaser for the show features Wilder's re-created voice; watch it below. "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," said Karen B. Wilder, Gene Wilder's wife, on behalf of the Gene Wilder estate. "Gene had a remarkable ability to bring humor, wonder and heart into people's lives, and that connection has endured for generations. 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." Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost, David Tibballs, Alison Holloway and Emer Harkin executive produce Wonka's The Golden Ticket. The series is scheduled to premiere Sept. 23.

Netflix Resurrecting Gene Wilder's Voice Using AI for Willy Wonka Reality Series The Golden Ticket

Netflix has used AI technology to revive the voice of Gene Wilder for its new Willy Wonka reality show, Wonka's The Golden Ticket. The nine-episode series will debut via Netflix on September 23, and see 12 contestants enter a fresh version of Wonka's infamous chocolate factory to face challenges meant to test their physical, mental and moral strength in the hope of winning a "life-changing prize." A trailer for the series released today is narrated by an AI reproduction of Wilder, which Deadline reports was recreated by ubiquitous celebrity AI voice company ElevenLabs with consent from Wilder's estate. Of course, Wilder starred as the infamous confectionary maker in the beloved 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, adapted from Roald Dahl's timeless novel. If the name ElevenLabs sounds familiar, it's the same firm that just released a new version of The Odyssey narrated by an AI reproduction of Michael Caine, and also recently paid to capture the voice rights of late Marvel legend Stan Lee for use in various commercial ventures. "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," reads a statement from the late actor's widow, Karen B. Wilder, on behalf of the Gene Wilder Estate. "Gene had a remarkable ability to bring humor, wonder and heart into people's lives, and that connection has endured for generations. 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." Alongside its AI Wonka, The Golden Ticket will feature some actual talent from Wilder's beloved 1971 film in the guise of Rusty Goffe, who returns as an Oompa Loompa for the show. The 93-year-old Caine previously described ElevenLabs' AI voice technology as "using innovation not to replace humanity, but to celebrate it... It's not about replacing voices; it's about amplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers everywhere." The company now owns a library of living and dead celebrities that also includes Judy Garland, David Hasselhoff, Albert Einstein, and Matthew McConaughey -- the latter of whom has also invested an undisclosed amount in the company. Last year, Sir David Attenborough issued a strongly-worded statement saying he was "profoundly disturbed" that AI was being used to have him say pretty much anything. Image credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social