AI is once again making its way into the entertainment industry. AI-oriented production company, Ex Machina Studios, has hired Oscar winner, Roger Avary, to write and direct a feature adaptation of the Biblical tale, Paradise Lost.
The feature intends to apply Ex Machina’s AI technology in order to allow for “expansive worlds to be realized at a responsible budget while preserving the primacy of real actors, human-authored narratives and guild-aligned production practices”. Cast and shoot dates have yet to be announced, but the budget is rumored to be ambitious for an indie film.
The Biblical epic has long been a challenge to adapt, but Avary and Ex Machina Studios believe the application of AI can make the effort more manageable. Avary states, “with Paradise Lost, I’m taking a more faithful approach at a fraction of the cost, using cutting-edge generative AI to bring Milton’s vision to life in ways unimaginable just a few years ago”. The film is described as telling the story of archangel Lucifer after he is banished to Hell for defying God. His feelings of anger and betrayal lead him to vow revenge on all creation, which ultimately introduces the book of Genesis, where Lucifer intends to seduce Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
This is not the first epic Avary has been a part of. He previously co-wrote Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf, which also applied a technological advancement – motion capture. He’s also teased that he was working on multiple AI projects.
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