Natasha Lyonne Set to Make Feature Directorial Debut With AI Film — With Help From Jaron Lanier (Exclusive)

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You are not a gadget — but you might be immersed in an artificial intelligence-generated film.

In an uncommon creative partnership, Jaron Lanier, known for his technology innovations and occasional skepticism, is joining forces with actresses Natasha Lyonne and Brit Marling on a unique feature film project. This film will be set within the realm of immersive video games and will heavily incorporate artificial intelligence.

The “Uncanny Valley” project, as it’s named, is supported by Asteria, the recently established AI-focused studio led by Lyonne and Los Angeles filmmaker and entrepreneur Bryn Mooser. In this venture, Lyonne will take on directing duties from a script she co-wrote with Marling, and both of them are set to appear in it as well.

The movie revolves around a teenager, who gets swept away by an extremely popular augmented reality video game in the contemporary era. It will seamlessly merge real-life scenes with gaming aspects, with Lanier, Lyonne, and Marling collaborating to generate the game elements. This unique project will leverage AI technology from Asteria’s partner Moonvalley, using a system called “Marey.” Unlike systems provided by companies like Runway and OpenAI, “Marey” only uses copyright-cleared data.

A spokesperson for Asteria notes that the movie will seamlessly combine classic narrative methods with advanced artificial intelligence, aiming to deliver an innovative and revolutionary cinematic adventure.

It’s yet unclear whether the movie will be released in theaters, on a streaming service, or a more innovative platform.

Although AI is often proposed for streamlining postproduction processes, it’s rarely used to influence the storyline of a film, especially not with the high-profile talent featured in this case.

Ever since establishing Asteria, Lyonne has been experimenting with large language models in an effort to establish herself as a pioneer in the realm of innovative storytelling. Her latest movie serves as her debut as a feature director; she also directed several episodes of her Peacock hit series ‘Poker Face’, which is set to return for its second season next week, marking her directional work on it.

In the project at hand, Lyonne delves deeper into narrative innovations reminiscent of “Russian Doll”‘s time loops, while Marling carries forward the transformative themes showcased in “The OA”. Their partner on Netflix’s previous cult hit, Zal Batmanglij, serves as a producer in this endeavor. She refers to these and other sci-fi ventures as tools of resistance.

Instead of merely being another independent project, “Uncanny Valley” might serve as an initial indicator, shedding light on whether Generative AI has the potential to streamline and diminish content, as some skeptics suggest, or if it can broaden the horizons of creativity instead.

Mooser, overseeing several ventures at Asteria that utilize their licensing structure, expressed confidence in this project’s success due to its origin from storytellers rather than coders. “Artists spearheading technology as opposed to the reverse fosters innovative and groundbreaking developments,” said Mooser, collaborating with Justin Lacob, an executive at his documentary firm.

Lyonne remarked in a statement that their collaboration on the project resembles “Dianne Wiest and Diane Keaton, at their most talkative, embarking on an adventure through the world of The Matrix as a game, but instead discovering they were holding an architectural plan.” Additionally, she described Lanier as “a true polymath, a philosophically profound individual, a personal hero who transcends time, and an extraordinary, wise figure for all ages.

Leaving Atari behind to establish a pivotal virtual reality company in the 1980’s, Lanier emerged as one of Silicon Valley’s foremost intellectuals, contributing through stints at Microsoft Research and various public platforms. Despite this, he has frequently voiced his concerns about the impact Big Tech was having.

In 2011, I voiced my dismay to The New Yorker about how the internet has evolved over the past decade. I’ve consistently believed that a human-centric approach to computer science results in more intriguing, extraordinary, untamed, and heroic journeys compared to an approach centered on machine supremacy, where data is the ultimate objective. If these themes resonate with you, they were also explored when I consulted for Steven Spielberg on ‘Minority Report’.

2010’s manifesto titled “You Are Not a Gadget” put forth the idea of regaining control over personal data amidst the increasing influence of social media platforms. Although he acknowledges technology as a potent medium for artistic expression, he also highlights that Artificial Intelligence might constrain consciousness, in contrast to Virtual Reality.

Lanier and Lyonne had previously discussed their shared work during a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival. At this event, Lanier emphasized that virtual reality provides an extraordinary platform for creating unique experiences. He went on to explain that in VR, one can assume different animal forms, feel fragmented or dispersed, manipulate time, and even merge bodies with others.

However, he contends that this initiative can harmoniously blend technology and human values, as expressed in his statement to THR. He explained that “This narrative is fundamentally about technology, yet it’s truly about people, and the enigmatic bond that links us across generations, technological advancements, and diverse complexities.

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2025-04-29 17:25