Netflix’s nine-episode “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket,” released Wednesday, features hologram hosts Wayne Brady, Nick Cannon and Howie Mandel. Twelve golden-ticket holders, each with a partner of their choice, compete in factory-themed challenges for $3 million.
Brady, Cannon and Mandel were filmed speaking and gesturing at Proto Hologram’s headquarters in Van Nuys, California. The company processed the 4K footage into life-size projections; contestants interact with the hosts in real time via a live feed to the Australian set, which Netflix says is the largest ever built there.
The series also uses an AI recreation by ElevenLabs of late Gene Wilder’s voice as Wonka, with permission from his estate. Some critics of reviving deceased celebrities call the practice disturbing and disrespectful. Rusty Goffe reprises his Oompa Loompa role, while Peter Ostrum, who played the boy who inherits Wonka’s factory, appears in a cameo.
