Technology has again raised some folks' ire over how it is being used regarding deceased celebrities. The latest case in point involves the late actor Gene Wilder. He died in 2016. However, through modern technology, his voice has been brought back to life for a Netflix project that involves Willy Wonka.
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Per pennlive, the fan favorite character comes from Roald Dahl's children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Wonka was also immortalized in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It came out in 1971 and starred the inimitable Wilder. Now, though, Netflix has appropriated the character for a new reality show. It's called Wonka's The Golden Ticket and it features a duplication of Gene Wilder's voice.
Per the outlet, "Netflix partnered with the AI audio company ElevenLabs to develop an artificial intelligence recreation of Wilder's voice." Wilder's estate allegedly gave the go-ahead to Netflix, according to a disclaimer. Nevertheless, there are still those who are taken aback by the whole venture.
Viewers Are Turned Off
Some flexed their angry feelings on Reddit. They were very negative, to say the least.
Commented one dismayed person, "Wilder, of course, died in 2016 at the ripe old age of 83 and was not available to record his lines in the flesh. This version of him has been reanimated using artificial intelligence. Eww. There's no proper use for this, it's all misuse under all circumstances."
Someone else griped, "They could literally have hired a fun host to dress up as Wonka...Or just an up and coming actor with the right tone. We didn't need to draw the corpse of gene wilder into this."
More outrage came from this person. "There's a special place in hell for the people who okayed this."
A similar reaction came from this commenter. "the title alone made me groan. like of course they used AI to bring back Gene Wilder for a reality competition show, because nothing says 'pure imagination' like exploiting a dead man's voice for a cash grab...."
Wilder's Widow Favored Her Late Husband's AI-Generated Voice Being Used for the New Show
Karen Wilder was married to the actor from 1991 until his death. In a statement via pennlive, she makes clear that she favored using Wilder's AI voice for this show. It reads in part, "...We are delighted that Wonka's The Golden Ticket celebrates the warmth and imagination that he {Gene Wilder] brought to the role, introducing that magic to a new generation while honoring the fans who have cherished it for decades."
