A much-discussed technology with unclear applications is getting another shot, and it’s fitting that the first major AI-generated movie revolves around Bitcoin. The upcoming thriller Bitcoin: Kill Satoshi, directed by Doug Liman, known for films like The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow, features stars such as Gal Gadot, Pete Davidson, and Casey Affleck. According to reports, it aims to be the first “studio quality” feature film to prominently showcase AI-generated visuals throughout its production.
This film is being produced independently by the leaders of visual effects studio Acme AI & FX, who dedicated 20 days to construct a fully customized soundstage for filming. During post-production, all sets and lighting were created using AI tools, resulting in a studio filled with plain walls and simple lighting.
The filmmakers claim that opting for AI significantly reduced the production budget from $300 million to about $70 million. This raises an intriguing question: what warranted such a high initial budget? Do films centered on coding really involve a lot of intense chase scenes and stunts? It seems rather like a movie about people just sitting around having discussions.
This is where the peculiarities of Hollywood budgeting come into play. Producer Ryan Kavanaugh mentioned that the script includes approximately 200 different locations, ranging from Antarctica to Antigua and Las Vegas, which makes such a production practically impossible. The $300 million figure likely reflects the budget required for filming on various locations. “We recognized that we could cut costs by using some of the available AI tools,” Kavanaugh stated.
But really, producers could just as easily have trimmed expenses by, you know, not filming on location. It’s a movie; creative license is allowed. Movies like Escape from New York were filmed in places like St. Louis, and no one seemed to mind.
Even with AI involved in post-production, it’s important to note that there’s still a considerable amount of human effort involved in filmmaking. This is something the producers seem keen to highlight. Reports indicate that 107 cast members, 100 crew members, and 54 additional staff will be working throughout production, and 55 “AI artists” will be needed for around 30 weeks of post-production. The emphasis on the number of people contributing to the project suggests awareness of the existing skepticism towards AI in creative fields, as they attempt to balance promoting the technology and underscoring human involvement.
It’s pretty clear that the producers want AI to take center stage. While they’ve gathered some recognizable names for the project, they aren’t necessarily big draws you’d expect with a theoretical $300 million budget. Gal Gadot was recently in a not-so-well-received live-action version of Snow White, Casey Affleck is a talented actor often in supportive roles, and Pete Davidson—well, he’s just Pete Davidson. So, it’ll be interesting to see if any of these actors make much noise about the film after the press tour wraps up.
