So here it is.
A24, a studio known for making independent films with auteurs and good actors, is going AI.
They’ve taken a $75 million investment from Google to start using AI tools for storyboards and eventually movies.
SAG and the other Guilds should have a proper fit when they read this in the Wall Street Journal.
The studio has started something called A24Labs. They do not mean Labrador retrievers. They means ways to make cheap, fast movies without getting people involved.
The Journal says: “The new collaborators hope their partnership will include the studio’s roster of artists. A24 works with some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Timothée Chalamet and “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons.”
Not so fast. Maybe I’m wrong about the under 30 crowd. Are they really going to make movies with fake everything? Is this where we’re headed? (Could be.)
A24 is indeed having a fluke hit right now with “Backrooms,” which has made $277 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. But they’ve also had a long list of also-rans recently, too, including the current “Death of Robin Hood,” which made just $2.6 million this weekend, and 7 other clunkers since January 1st including “How to Make a Killing,” “Pillion,” and “The Moment.” A new one, “The Invite,” could put them back on track.
Who knows? Maybe AI could help the dull, pointless movies made by Ari Aster, like “Eddington” and “Beau is Afraid.”
