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AI firm plans to reconstruct lost footage from Orson Welles' masterpiece The Magnificent Ambersons

The Guardian

An AI company is to reconstruct the missing portions of Orson Welles' legendary mutilated masterwork The Magnificent Ambersons, it has been announced. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Showrunner platform is planning to use its AI tools to assist in a recreation of the lost 43 minutes of Welles' 1942 film, removed and subsequently destroyed by Hollywood studio RKO. Edward Saatchi, CEO of interactive AI film-making studio Fable, which operates Showrunner, said in a statement to IndieWire: "We're starting with Orson Welles because he is the greatest storyteller of the last 200 years … So many people are rightly skeptical of AI's impact on cinema – but we hope that this gives people a sense of a positive contribution that AI can make for storytelling." Reports suggest that Showrunner is partnering with film-maker Brian Rose, who has been working since 2019 on an attempt to reconstruct the missing portions using animated sequences, as well as VFX expert Tom Clive. Welles started production in 1942 on The Magnificent Ambersons, an adaptation of Booth Tarkington's celebrated novel about a midwestern family in decline, as a follow-up to his Oscar-winning debut Citizen Kane.


Harrison Ford shuts down AI fears, dismisses technology's power to 'steal my soul'

FOX News

Harrison Ford isn't impressed by or afraid of artificial intelligence. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, the "Captain America: Brave New World" star was asked if he was planning on securing control of his likeness from studios, and he brushed off the concern. "You don't need artificial intelligence to steal my soul. You can already do it for nickels and dimes with good ideas and talent," he told the outlet. Ford was referring to the 2024 video game "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle," with actor Troy Baker, who provided the voice and motion-capture performance for the character.


'Terminator' star Linda Hamilton put retirement on hold for 'Stranger Things'

FOX News

'Terminator' stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reunited to promote the new sequel'Terminator: Dark Fate.' Linda Hamilton became a star after appearing in 1984's sci-fi classic "The Terminator," alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. But after appearing in the latest film in the franchise, "Terminator: Dark Fate" in 2019, the 67-year-old was ready to retire – not just from her iconic character, Sarah Connor, but the industry as well. "I don't do a lot of regret. I think in the end, it holds true that we regret what we didn't do, not what we did," she told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. Speaking on "Dark Fate," she continued, "I'm very glad I went back. I loved [director Tim Miller], I love my ladies [Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes], and while I can't say I love the film, that's because I was so attached to it. I felt like it was too fast. But we did so much good work, and it was the greatest time of my life, and the worst time of my life, all rolled into one film. Linda Hamilton told The Hollywood Reporter that working on "Terminator: Dark Fate" was "the greatest time of my life, and the worst time of my life, all rolled into one film." "I was 63 or whatever I was, and it was the hardest shoot.


Tyler Perry halts 800m studio expansion after being shocked by AI

The Guardian

Tyler Perry has paused an 800m ( 630m) expansion of his Atlanta studio complex after the release of OpenAI's video generator Sora and warned that "a lot of jobs" in the film industry will be lost to artificial intelligence. The US film and TV mogul said he was in the process of adding 12 sound stages to his studio but has halted those plans indefinitely after he saw demonstrations of Sora and its "shocking" capabilities. "All of that is currently and indefinitely on hold because of Sora and what I'm seeing," Perry said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. "I had gotten word over the last year or so that this was coming, but I had no idea until I saw recently the demonstrations of what it's able to do. The AI tool was launched on 15 February – with limited access to a few researchers and video creators – and caused widespread astonishment with its ability to produce realistic footage a minute long from simple text prompts. Perry, whose successes include the Madea film series, said Sora's achievements meant he would no longer have to travel to locations or build a set: "I can sit in an office and do this with a computer, which is shocking to me." Demonstrations released by OpenAI, the developer of the groundbreaking ChatGPT chatbot, show photorealistic scenes in response to prompts such as asking for a shot of people walking through "beautiful, snowy Tokyo city" where "gorgeous sakura petals are flying through the wind along with snowflakes". Sora can create videos of up to 60 seconds featuring highly detailed scenes, complex camera motion, and multiple characters with vibrant emotions. Perry said the breakthroughs presented by Sora would affect a range of jobs throughout the film industry, including those of actors, editors, sound specialists and transportation crew. He said: "I am very, very concerned that in the near future, a lot of jobs are going to be lost.


Hollywood execs warn AI steals jobs but can't do job of true artists: 'I want to work with human beings'

FOX News

AI expert Marva Bailer explains how the average person has more access than ever to create deepfakes of celebrities even though there are laws in place. With the writers and actors strikes in the past and a new year just beginning, Hollywood executives are still pondering the future of artificial intelligence in entertainment. In a roundtable interview with the Los Angeles Times, several executives weighed in with their concerns about the technology. Jonathan Glickman, founder and CEO of Panoramic Media Co., said that at the moment "I don't think it's really going to affect the writing process very much for the near future, just because the quality is so far below anything that an audience would stand for." However, while creativity may be hard to duplicate, certain behind-the-scenes jobs that are somewhere between technical and creative could be affected.


Jon Stewart's Apple TV show reportedly ends following clash over AI and China

Engadget

It was already supposed to begin filming for another eight episodes within the next couple of weeks, but Apple and Stewart reportedly decided to part ways before it can start. While neither party has issued a statement yet, the publications said the parties didn't see eye to eye when it came to hot button topics. The host apparently told production staff that Apple executives had raised concerns about certain subject matters he's potentially covering in the show, particularly China and artificial intelligence. Based on The Hollywood Reporter's confirmation of the news, Apple talked to Stewart about the need to be "aligned" when it comes to show topics and even threatened to cancel the series. Wanting full creative control of The Problem, Stewart chose to walk away instead. The Problem debuted on Apple TV in 2021, with episodes coming out every other week, six years after Stewart left The Daily Show.


ChatGPT and Hollywood: AI Anxiety Is Showing – The Hollywood Reporter

#artificialintelligence

If artificial intelligence evangelists' predictions pan out, generative AI systems like ChatGPT and DALL-E are set to transform Hollywood by developing and writing scripts for the next hit TV show, "diversifying" casts with AI-generated actors and generating imagery across multiple mediums, practically instantly, for a fraction of the cost of a real, human artist. But how long will it take for the vision to meet reality, and can a select group of companies -- similar to the rise of Facebook and social media -- be trusted to herald the way? Driving much of the current conversation around AI innovation has been OpenAI, an AI research company with both non-profit and for-profit arms. Just four months after the formal launch of OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT, industry titans like Bill Gates were ready to hail artificial intelligence as the most revolutionary technology of our time since the advent of cell phones and the internet. Major tech companies like Google and Microsoft have invested hundreds of millions into AI companies, including OpenAI, as executives look to the technology to steward their companies into the future amid an economic downturn that has particularly hit digital native companies hard.


Bandai Namco is reportedly making a live-action Pac-Man movie

Engadget

Bandai Namco is developing a live-action Pac-Man film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Japanese publisher has reportedly tapped Wayfarer Studios, best known for its work on 2019's Five Feet Apart, to produce the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film was pitched by Sonic the Hedgehog producer Chuck Williams. The movie does not have a release date yet and Bandai Namco could decide not to move forward with the project. That said, the involvement of Williams says a lot about the company's aspirations.


Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal to star in The Last of Us TV series

The Guardian

Game of Thrones actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – who also stars in Disney's Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian – have been cast in HBO's television adaptation of blockbusting video game series The Last of Us. They will take on the roles of Ellie and Joel in the forthcoming drama. The Hollywood Reporter broke news of the adaptation last March, and since then speculation over the casting has been rife. Fans on social media initially favoured Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever for the role of Ellie, and the actor expressed interest. Meanwhile, True Detective's Mahershala Ali was rumoured to have been approached for the role of Joel.


NEWS: Humanoid AI Robot To Take the Role of Lead Actress in an Upcoming Sci-Fi Film -- The Confessionals

#artificialintelligence

Robots are likely to replace a lot of jobs in the future, but these roles are generally well-suited to automation. For some jobs -- particularly creative professions -- it'll be much harder to simply swap in a digital employee. But as a forthcoming feature film proves, it won't be impossible. According to Hollywood Reporter, science-fiction movie b will be the first to rely on an artificially intelligent actor. Meet Erica (pictured above), a humanoid robot that will take center stage in Life Productions' $70 million picture, which tells the tale of a scientist tasked with creating perfect human DNA.