“What is this, Wonka? Some kind of funhouse?”

That’s the question Veruca Salt’s befuddled dad asks as Willy Wonka leads a small band of golden-ticket holders through his fantastical candy factory in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Now, that funhouse – described by young Charlie as “the most wonderful place on earth” – is being recreated on Queensland’s Gold Coast for a new Netflix show scheduled to air in 2026.

Screen Queensland announced on Thursday that Eureka Productions has this month started filming the Wonka-inspired competition series The Golden Ticket at Village Roadshow Studios, describing it as a “high-stakes social experiment” that will challenge players both physically and mentally.

In British author Dahl’s original 1964 book, five children (including Charlie Bucket) find “golden tickets” hidden in Wonka chocolate bars, winning themselves a tour of the mysterious sweet factory led by its eccentric owner Willy Wonka.

The book has spawned three movies – the first starring Gene Wilder, the second (by Tim Burton) with Johnny Depp, and the most recent featuring Timothée Chalamet – and continues to captivate the imaginations of audiences both young and old.

Netflix joined forces with the Roald Dahl Company in 2021 and The Golden Ticket will be its first show inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, although it has previously brought Dahl’s stories to life with films Matilda the Musical and The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar.

In announcing the reality-competition series earlier this year, the streaming service said that just like Charlie and the other children in Dahl’s novel, “a group of lucky contestants will have the chance to step into the whimsical wonderland – and to enter, you’ll need a coveted golden ticket”.

But it warned the ticket would only get players so far: “Wonka’s guests must withstand games, tests, and temptations designed to prove their instincts, resilience, and ability to thrive in the chaos of a retro-futuristic dreamscape.”

Although Netflix is keeping further details of the set under wraps for now, Queensland Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek’s indicated the scale of the production on Thursday when he said The Golden Ticket would contribute an estimated $17 million to the local economy and support more than 210 job opportunities.

“Where better to realise the bold and imaginative universe of Wonka than here in the sunshine state, Australia’s own production paradise?” Langbroe said.

According to Deadline website, Eureka Productions beat a number of rivals to secure the rights to produce the series. The company, which has headquarters in Australia and the US, also produces shows such as The Amazing Race Australia (Network Ten), The Mole (Netflix), Holey Moley (ABC), The Voice Australia (Nine) and Drunk History (Ten).

Some insight into the “wonderland” being created for The Golden Ticket can be gleaned from the fact that a casting call was issued in South-East Queensland in July for actors to play Oompa Loompas, the impish characters who help Wonka run his factory.

While the original depictions of the Oompa Loompas have been the subject of controversy in the past, the callout was open to people of “all backgrounds, heights, body types, gender identities, ages and abilities”.

TND understands Netflix will reveal details of The Golden Ticket contestants and host closer to the series debut. When the streamer first announced the show, before the filming location was revealed, it invited applications from prospective contestants, stating they must be at least 18 and live in the United States.

“We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before,” said Jeff Gaspin, vice-president of Unscripted at Netflix, said at the time.

“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.”

Hopefully they won’t suffer the same kind of fate as most of the golden ticket winners in the original tale.

Who can forget precocious Violet blowing up into a giant blueberry after ignoring a warning about Wonka’s experimental three-course magic bubble gum? Or poor Veruca, labelled a “bad nut” and thrown down a rubbish chute by a band of trained squirrels.

Oh well, as Wonka would say: “A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men.”