Natasha Lyonne is set to make her feature directorial debut — with a big assist from artificial intelligence.
The “Poker Face” star is teaming up with Brit Marling and renowned computer scientist Jaron Lanier to create “Uncanny Valley,” a “hybrid film” that combines live action and AI. The new flick was announced on Tuesday by Asteria Studios, the self-described “ethical AI film and animation studio” that Lyonne co-founded alongside Bryn Mooser.
“Uncanny Valley,” per a release from Asteria, will be “powered by ‘Marey,’ the first clean foundational AI model developed by the engineers at Moonvalley, ensuring creative integrity and copyright transparency.”
Lyonne, in a statement shared with TheWrap, said it is “astounding” what can be created with AI when it is used “ethically and creatively.”
“Bringing something so bold to life feels radically expansive and exciting,” she said. “I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity from Asteria and to witness this emerging era from the front lines.”
Lyonne will direct the movie, based on a script she wrote with Marling, and both will star in the project. While this will be the first feature film that Lyonne has directed, she has plenty of experience behind the camera, having directed episodes of “Russian Doll,” “Poker Face” and “Orange Is the New Black.”
“Uncanny Valley” will tell the story of Mila, a teenage girl who loses her grip on reality due to a glitch in a popular augmented reality video game. The movie takes its name from the term for when an AI bot gives off a familiar, human feeling, but something is not quite right and it ends up weirding people out.
The movie’s use of AI comes at a time when the technology’s role in Hollywood is being hotly debated. While James Cameron has said he is excited about AI ushering in a “new wave” of storytelling, other creators are concerned it will eat away at jobs both on- and off-camera. Justine Bateman, notably, is pushing back on AI’s encroachment on the entertainment world and launched the Credo 23 non-AI film festival in Los Angeles in March.
Lyonne has previously said she is excited about AI’s potential, but that she is also worried it can be used to trample on the rights of content creators; she was one of more than 400 artists, including Ben Stiller and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who signed a letter last month calling for more protection against copyrighted material being used to train AI models.
“AI can enable bigger visions onscreen — but we must also grapple with its myriad complexities surrounding artists’ rights,” she said in a statement. “As a lifelong member and armchair historian of showbiz, it feels important that we come together as a creative community to meet this technological wave with the fearless forward-thinking, grit and pioneering spirit that has always defined us.”
A tentative release date for “Uncanny Valley” has not been set.
