Roger Avary, the Oscar-winning co-writer of “Pulp Fiction” and Quentin Tarantino’s podcast co-host, says the rise of artificial intelligence has made it easier to get his movies made.
Just to put things into perspective, Avary has only directed four films since his 1993 debut “Killing Zoe,” one of which includes 2002’s Bret Easton Ellis adaptation “The Rules of Attraction.” He’s also written two other films, including “Silent Hill” and “Beowulf.”
In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Avary described the traditional film financing system as effectively inaccessible to him. “I go out there and try to get stuff made, and it’s almost impossible,” he said, explaining that conventional routes no longer seem to be an option.
That changed after he launched his AI-focused production banner, General Cinema Dynamics. According to Avary, simply positioning the company as a technology-driven, AI-based venture unlocked immediate investor interest. “All of a sudden, boom, like that, money gets thrown at it,” he said. “Just by attaching the word ‘AI’… investors came in, and we’re in production on three films now.”
Those projects include a family Christmas film slated for theaters this holiday season, a “faith-based” release timed for Easter, and what Avary describes as a large-scale romantic war epic.
Avary admitting all this will no doubt trigger many, after all, it arrives amid growing anxiety in Hollywood over AI’s long-term impact. Darren Aronofsky did not make any friends in the industry for making “On This Day… 1776,” his multi-part animated web series from AI studio Primordial Soup. Concern only intensified this week when a viral clip—generated from a short prompt using Seedance 2.0—depicted Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt in a hyper-realistic video.
Now, don’t get me wrong: a vocal majority of the industry is firmly against AI. But there have also been some notable filmmakers—most older veterans—who have actually come out in support of AI usage in “cinema.” Joining Avary and Aronofsky have been the likes of Roger Deakins, Brady Corbet, Michael Mann, Paul Schrader, Werner Herzog, and George Miller.
It should also be mentioned that Doug Liman is about to shoot his next film entirely on AI-generated stages. Oh, and Michael Mann has teased using AI for de-aging purposes on his upcoming “Heat 2,” which might be the same technology George Miller used on “Furiosa.”
Warner Bros.’ “The End of Oak Street” is not doing well. The $80M movie grossed an estimated $8M on Friday from 3446 theaters, including previews. It’s now looking at around an $18M opening.