Netflix uses AI Gene Wilder voice for Wonka competition series trailer

Netflix has put an AI recreation of Gene Wilder’s voice into the trailer and promotional material for Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, a new competition series set to premiere on Sept. 23, 2026. The show will follow 12 contestants as they take on challenges inside Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for one life-changing prize.

The streamer says the series is a reality competition inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a tribute to the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Netflix also says only contestants who first find a coveted golden ticket will gain entry to the factory, making the voice choice part of a larger attempt to thread nostalgia, spectacle and branded competition into one package.

Gene Wilder died in 2016 at age 83, and Netflix says his estate consented to the use of his voice. Karen Wilder said the family was delighted that the show would introduce that magic to a new generation while honoring longtime fans. That approval matters because it places consent at the center of a practice that has often raised alarms when deceased performers are recreated without clear permission.

The project also points to a growing business around licensed AI voices. Netflix partnered with ElevenLabs, the AI voice-generation company that has been pushing deeper into Hollywood, and ElevenLabs says its Iconic Marketplace is a curated, two-sided platform for licensed AI voices and intellectual property. The company says the marketplace launched with more than 25 other iconic voices available, alongside names such as Sir Michael Caine.

That model is already expanding beyond Wilder. Variety reported in November 2025 that Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey had both struck AI voice deals with ElevenLabs, a sign that consent-based voice licensing is moving from novelty to commerce. ElevenLabs describes the marketplace as a way for creators to request access to iconic talent for projects and content, while rights holders control the terms.

For Netflix, the Wilder voice is a marketing hook attached to a high-profile franchise revival. For Hollywood, it is another clear marker that digital performance is moving into a new phase, one where studios can restore recognizable voices after death if estates agree. The question now is less whether the technology exists than how often entertainment companies will use it, and whether the industry can build standards fast enough to keep pace.