Netflix is launching The Golden Ticket, a reality competition series inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lucky contestants will get a chance to explore a real-life Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but only if they can find a golden ticket.
Here’s the Lowdown: Produced by Eureka Productions (The Mole, Dating Around), The Golden Ticket is a social experiment blending adventure, strategy, and social interaction. Contestants will face physical and mental challenges in a “retro-futuristic dreamscape,” testing their resilience and ability to handle pressure. Finding a golden ticket is just the first step; surviving the factory’s trials is the real challenge. Casting is currently open to US residents.
What This Means Now: This marks Netflix’s first series based on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory world, following the streaming giant’s 2021 acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company. It is a move into unscripted content based on a beloved children’s tale.
The Bigger Picture: Netflix is expanding its use of Roald Dahl’s intellectual property. They have previously that they intend to reimagine many of Dahl’s stories, including Matilda, The BFG, and The Twits. The Golden Ticket shows a willingness to move beyond traditional adaptations and into new formats. As Jeff Gaspin, Netflix’s VP of Unscripted, put it, this show will allow a few people to actually “step inside the factory and live it.”
