2026 brought a ton of surprises for Netflix viewers, and that streak is still going strong. Meanwhile, the top TV streaming app just dropped the trailer for a ‘Wonka’ reality show, but before fans could even process the surprise, the trailer crossed a major line by using Gene Wilder’s AI voice.
Netflix Wonka’s The Golden Ticket used AI technology to clone late star Gene Wilder’s voice
Netflix recently dropped a 2-minute-and-1-second trailer for a reality show called Wonka’s The Golden Ticket on its official YouTube channel. Everything seemed fine until people noticed one big thing: they used AI technology in the trailer to clone the voice of the late star Gene Wilder.
In the trailer, you can see contestants happily enduring all kinds of chaos while the late actor Gene Wilder’s voice guides them. However, many fans were upset with the trailer because their favorite late actor’s voice was recreated using AI.
One fan wrote, “This should include a legally mandated notification about the AI-generated content, like when some foods are labeled as GMO in the grocery store. But sadly, that’s not the world we live in.”
Another viewer added, “This goes way, way beyond running out of ideas. Is that an AI Gene Wilder? Even Black Mirror isn’t this dystopian.”
A third viewer wrote, “Don’t Forget: Netflix used AI to generate Gene Wilder’s voice for the narration. Disgraceful!”
One of the viewers wrote, “They can’t fake the real voice of Willy Wonka,” another viewer commented, “I have so much dislike for this.”
For your information, the creators of Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, Netflix alongside Eureka Productions got permission from the late actor’s family before teaming up with an AI company called ElevenLabs to recreate the voice of the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory star.
Wonka’s The Golden Ticket will stream on Netflix on September 23, 2026. This 9-episode unscripted series will follow 12 contestants and their partners as they compete in a series of challenges.
Eureka Productions produced this show, drawing inspiration from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Rich Kim directed the series, with Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost, David Tibballs, Alison Holloway, and Emer Harkin serving as executive producers.
Originally reported by Vipul Dhawas for Mandatory
