One signal

Rusty Goffe, who appeared in the original Willy Wonka film, is discussing a new Willy Wonka TV show that includes an AI-generated version of Gene Wilder, according to the BBC.

Why it matters

That makes this more than another trip to the confectionery aisle. It puts a familiar face, and the question of who gets to recreate it, inside a modern children’s franchise. The report does not establish how the generated performance was made, whether Wilder’s estate approved it or how prominently it features. Hollywood has found another use for AI: summoning the past, then asking everyone to debate the invoice.

Discuss: Should estates be able to approve or veto AI recreations of actors, even when a new production is clearly framed as tribute rather than replacement?

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