Willy Wonka Reality Series Heats Up At Netflix As Rise Of Unscripted Bake-Offs Rattles Producers
09.05.2024 - 21:25
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Willy Wonka, the eccentric founder of the Wonka Chocolate Factory from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has been played by Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet on the big screen.
He’s now set to come to the small-screen in a much different way.
Deadline understands that Netflix is preparing a reality competition series based on the Roald Dahl story. This comes after the streamer acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021.
The expansive project is the latest example of a burgeoning trend in the unscripted market in the U.S. – The Bake-Off.
We hear that Netflix went out to a number of production companies, believed to include American Idol producer Fremantle, Wall to Wall, the British production company behind Who Do You Think You Are?, Nobody’s Hero, the production company behind Netflix’s Bullsh*t: The Game Show and Snack vs. Chef, and The Garden, which was one of the companies behind Squid Game: The Challenge.
Nobody’s Hero, which is run by Christopher Potts and Jonty Nash, and ITV-backed The Garden are understood to be out of the process, leaving Fremantle and Wall to Wall, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, to battle it out.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which also operates a number of U.S. unscripted divisions such as Warner Horizon, is expected to be involved in some shape even if Wall to Wall doesn’t land the series given its links to the movies. While here is currently no deal between the David Zaslav-run company and Netflix, if the series was to use clips from any of the movies, it would need to work with the studio, for instance.
As IP and A-list talent become more entwined in the unscripted world, the bake off is happening more and more. However, many unscripted producers are