Netflix Developing New Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Competition Series

Netflix is testing out a sweet new reality series, one that's based on Roald Dahl's popular children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Deadline was the first to report that the streaming service is in the midst of developing a reality competition series based on the popular children' book, though further details on what it will entail are yet to be announced.

Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021 and has since produced films such as a film adaptation of the Matilda musical, and now it appears Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is next up on for adapting.

Not everyone is thrilled about the growing trend of IP becoming a game show or competition series on streaming services, just like the popular Netflix show Squid Game became its own reality series.

Deadline highlighted the growing trend in unscripted television, which documents a rise in competition shows that feature baking and cooking.

An unscripted producer told Deadline that "Bake offs are an epidemic and we hate them," adding, "In the good old days, once in a while there were bake-offs, but typically, networks would pick a production company they knew and trusted and they would just partner up and make it work. But now because the markets so bad, they have the opportunity to make people audition. It's the bane of our existence".

While it's unclear whether the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed show is heading down this path, confectionary will inevitably be a large part of the Roald Dahl spin-off.

After seeing 2023 film Wonka - starring Timothée Chalamet - bag a worldwide box office total of $632.3 million, it's unsurprising that Netflix wants a slice of that IP pie.

Further details about the series are yet to be announced.