Natasha Lyonne to use AI for dystopian movie in her directorial debut
Russian Doll actor Natasha Lyonne will collaborate on her first directorial feature, a dystopian film set in a video game world. The film will use artificial intelligence.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the project will be titled Uncanny Valley. Longtime tech innovator Jaron Lanier will team up with Lyonne and The OA actor Brit Marling for the film.
The movie will use the AI-based studio Asteria, founded by Lyonne and filmmaker Bryn Mooser. Asteria’s partner, Moonvalley, will use a model called “Marey” that is built only on data that has been copyright-cleared.
A representative for Asteria says the film “will blend traditional storytelling techniques with cutting-edge AI technologies to create a radical new cinematic experience.” Lyonne has been working with large language models for some time. She will direct from a script she wrote with Marling. Both will also star.
The plot will follow a teenage girl who becomes “unmoored by a hugely popular AR video game in a parallel present.” This dystopian landscape will provide the playground for new AI techniques that have seldom been tried and tested in film.
Lyonne noted her and Marling’s work on the project could be painted this way: “[As if] Dianne Wiest and Diane Keaton, at their loquacious best, decided to take a journey through The Matrix for sport, only to find themselves holding up an architectural blueprint.” She also called Lanier “a bona fide polymath, a philosophically expansive personal hero and a singular, sage-like character for the ages.”
Many other celebrities are beginning to turn towards AI, newly considering its ability to push boundaries in the industry. Recently, musician Imogen Heap teamed up with AI start-up Jen, which allows fans to borrow the “vibe” of selected songs for their creations via ethical AI.
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