- The Golden Ticket is a new reality competition series coming to Netflix
- It’s inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory novel
- US residents can apply to be one of Wonka’s guests and compete
There’s a magic in the very name of Wonka! And now Netflix has given a green light to The Golden Ticket, a reality competition series inspired by Willy Wonka, that legendary candy maker initially appearing in Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
As a precocious California child of the ‘70s back when the last Ice Age melted, celebrated author Roald Dahl’s imaginative kids’ book centered around an eccentric confectioner and a poor European lad who finds a Golden Ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s mysterious headquarters was always the first title I grabbed off my bedroom bookshelf whenever staying home from school.
Years later, I was enthralled to see my all-time favorite book adapted into a Hollywood feature film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder as the kooky cacao wizard. I even enjoyed (to a lessor degree) director Tim Burton’s Johnny Depp-led version from 2005 and Wonka, the most recent musical iteration by filmmaker Paul King starring Timothée Chalamet.
Netflix’s next appetizing new TV series based on Roald Dahl’s story, aptly called The Golden Ticket, is best described as mixing the ingredients of logistical tactics and fun interactive gameplay, all while sugar-crazed contestants seek to achieve entry to a “retro-futuristic” candy-making factory using their Golden Ticket and negotiating through a number of chocolatey challenges to complete the various objectives.
“We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before,” said Jeff Gaspin, vp of unscripted material at Netflix. “This one-of-a-kind reality competition blends adventure, strategy and social dynamics, creating an experience that is as captivating as it is unpredictable. For the first time, a lucky few won’t just have to imagine the experience — they’ll get to step inside the factory and live it.”
With the profusion of popular cooking shows, obstacle challenges, and food-based reality programs scattered across the streaming landscape these days, a chocolate-coated project centered on Roald Dahl’s masterpiece seems destined for instant success. Eureka Productions (The Mole, Dating Around, TwentySomethings Austin) will serve as the series producers.
Netflix purchased the rights to Roald Dahl’s entire catalog of intellectual property back in 2021, which includes books such as The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, The Witches, and the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory titled Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. This endeavor will be Netflix’s first dip into the world of Willy Wonka.
Although there’s no official release date yet for Netflix’s The Golden Ticket, we’ll be sure to deliver the full scoop on any upcoming details and developments for what is sure to be one of the best Netflix shows.
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