Netflix is planning a reality competition show inspired by Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The streaming service announced that it plans to create a series titled The Golden Ticket, in which contestants navigate challenges inside a “retro-futuristic” chocolate factory—much as the characters in Dahl’s 1964 novel did.
“We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before,” Jeff Gaspin, VP of Unscripted at Netflix, told the Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
The show is one of Netflix’s first productions of a Dahl property since the company paid a reported nine-figure sum in 2021 for the rights to the author’s oeuvre, which also includes The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Those works and others have been the inspiration for multiple successful film adaptations, most famously the 1971 musical Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. Netflix has also released a Matilda musical and adaptation of Dahl’s short story “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.”
A release date for The Golden Ticket hasn’t been announced, but Netflix is now inviting would-be contestants to apply via its website.
Mark Athitakis is a writer in Phoenix.
