AI brings Gene Wilder's Wonka back to life

Netflix has partnered with artificial intelligence company ElevenLabs to recreate the voice of late actor Gene Wilder for its upcoming reality competition series 'Wonka's The Golden Ticket', marking the latest use of AI technology to revive the performance of a deceased Hollywood star.

The streaming has platform announced that the series, which premieres on September 23, will feature an AI-generated version of Wilder's voice. ElevenLabs specialises in AI-generated speech and voice-cloning technology.

Wilder, who immortalised the title role in the 1971 film 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory', died in 2016 at the age of 83. The new production is being made in collaboration with the Roald Dahl Story Company, which was acquired by Netflix in 2021, and the Gene Wilder Estate.

In a statement issued on behalf of the estate, Wilder's widow, Karen B Wilder, said, "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."

She added, "Gene had a remarkable ability to bring humour, wonder and heart into people's lives, and that connection has endured for generations."

The series will also feature Rusty Goffe reprising his role as an Oompa Loompa from the original film.

'Wonka's The Golden Ticket' follows 12 golden-ticket winners, each accompanied by a partner, as they compete in a series of games, challenges and temptations inside Wonka's fantastical world. Only one contestant will claim the grand prize.

Wilder, whose film career also included acclaimed performances in 'The Producers', 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein', joins a growing list of late Hollywood stars whose voices or likenesses have been recreated using artificial intelligence, including Carrie Fisher, Harold Ramis and Paul Walker.REUTERS