All articles tagged with #filmmaking
Christopher Nolan says Gen Z filmmakers are rejecting AI, calling it “hitting at exactly the wrong time” for Hollywood, and he praises a shift toward tactile storytelling and practical effects, highlighting young talents like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons as examples of cinema moving forward without relying on AI.
A24 explains its research partnership with Google’s DeepMind as a bid to have a seat at the table in Hollywood’s AI reckoning, granting A24 Labs access to DeepMind’s research and infrastructure while co-developing workflows and tools filmmakers may want. The deal does not give Google access to A24’s content or data, and there is no mandate for filmmakers to use the tools, reflecting a broader industry trend of studios collaborating with AI amid ongoing debates and fan backlash.
A24 is launching a joint venture with Google DeepMind to develop AI tools for its filmmakers, with DeepMind investing about $75 million; the collaboration aims to create AI features to support authentic storytelling and potentially feed back into Google's ecosystem, signaling a broader shift toward AI-assisted filmmaking.
Ron Howard says AI could expand storytelling and yield a new cinematic aesthetic, predicting many directors will embrace the tech despite some backlash; he spoke at the Runway AI Film Festival, where Runway and Lionsgate announced a deeper partnership to build an AI-driven pipeline, while noting that AI cost savings may be overstated and the art of making films could be transformed by these tools.
Martin Scorsese has become an adviser to Black Forest Labs and says he’s using the firm’s FLUX generative-AI technology to help storyboard scenes, including a famous Steadicam shot from The Irishman. He notes the tool speeds pre-production and aids clear communication with the production team while preserving craft. The move signals Hollywood’s broader AI adoption across filmmaking.
Michelle Obama suggests that Malia plans to pursue filmmaking on her own, with no involvement from her parents in her future work.
Deadline’s Cannes review of Bitter Christmas portrays Pedro Almodóvar’s autofiction experiment: a present-day filmmaker blocked by creative drought and a 2004 Madrid storyline that intertwine to question whether turning real lives into fiction is fair, with strong performances and sharp dialogue; while not seen as his Palme d’Or peak, the film offers a revealing glimpse into its director’s psyche.
Travis Knight, Laika veteran turned live-action director, says his Masters of the Universe film honors the long-running property by blending playful camp with serious emotion, centering Adam’s journey to become He-Man and the duality of empathy versus strength, while weaving in fan-favorite characters like Ram Man and Fisto in background ways and noting that not every favorite could fit; the film aims to appeal across generations and leaves open the possibility of more stories if audiences respond, with a June 5 release date.
Christopher Nolan says he treats each movie as if it could be his last, pushing his craft to the limit on the ambitious The Odyssey, the first theatrical release shot entirely with IMAX cameras. Shot over 91 days across Greece, Iceland, Morocco, Italy and Scotland with about 2 million feet of footage, the project embodies Nolan's aim to give audiences the fullest possible experience. He writes his own scripts to immerse viewers in place and sensation, with Damon and Emma Thomas praising the demanding but rewarding process. Nolan’s career has yielded 18 Academy Awards and more than $6 billion at the box office as he continues to push cinema’s language forward.
Javier Bardem delivers a magnetic, controlled performance as a world-famous director reuniting with his estranged daughter to shoot a desert-set film, while Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s The Beloved uses on-set chaos and clever filmmaking devices to examine male ego and family pain.
Christopher Nolan says The Odyssey will be his biggest film, shot entirely in 70mm IMAX and edited frame-by-frame by hand, a process showcased in a 60 Minutes clip where he explains the scale and challenges; Matt Damon calls it the hardest movie he’s done, and Nolan demonstrates cutting and gluing at the world’s last film lab, highlighting the artsy, costly “hard way” of high‑resolution storytelling for CBS/Paramount+.
Stephen Colbert will write a new Lord of the Rings film, reportedly titled Shadow of the Past, with Peter Jackson producing. The story, set 14 years after Frodo’s death, follows Sam, Merry, and Pippin as they retrace the first steps of their journey, while Sam’s daughter Elanor uncovers a long-buried secret connected to the War of the Ring. Colbert wrote the outline with his son Peter Colbert, and the screenplay will be a collaboration with Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee; Jackson, Boyens, and Fran Walsh will produce. Warner Bros. backs the project, which is billed as faithful to both the books and the films.
In a Variety interview, Drew Goddard discusses adapting Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary for a bigger, more emotionally driven sci‑fi epic with Ryan Gosling under directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, detailing how to dramatize a largely solitary story and the influence of James Cameron on structure. He also confirms he’s writing and directing The Matrix 5, aiming to honor the Wachowskis’ legacy while shaping his own take, and reflects on past projects derailed by the Sony hack (including a Sinister Six Spider‑Man movie). Goddard also shares his chaotic, handwriting‑based writing process and notes MGM’s sale to Amazon, which ultimately kept Hail Mary moving forward.
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, 17, says Nicole Kidman is her biggest inspiration after visiting her mom’s film sets as a child; the Elle Australia cover shoot that sparked her interest in modeling and filmmaking happened just hours before her school’s winter formal. She’s explored fashion on the runway (Miu Miu, 2025) and hopes to study filmmaking in college, with mom’s advice about being on time and prepared as key industry guidance.
A Sundance-winning documentary follows André Ricciardi, a San Francisco ad guru diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer, as he invites friends to document his life and death with irreverent humor rather than a sob story. Directors Tony Benna and producer Lee Einhorn chronicle the couple years of filming—from chemotherapy and desert escapades to a puppet-augmented portrait that captures his friendships and daredevil curiosity—creating an intimate, frank portrait of a man who wanted life to be celebrated, not mourned, and who urged viewers to get a colonoscopy.