Steven Soderbergh to Direct Wagner Moura in Spanish-American War Movie That Will Use “A Lot of AI”

Steven Soderbergh, who has released nine films over the last seven years, isn’t set to shoot anything this year — unusual given how prolific he is — but it’s not for lack of trying.

More recently, he has admitted difficulty finding financing for his next project. A look at his annual “Seen, Read 2025” log shows he was working on two mysterious screenplays last year, “Bloodworth Manor” and “Ascenso.”

In a new interview with Filmmaker Magazine, Soderbergh appears to hint that “Ascenso” tackles the rarely filmed Spanish–American War. He also noted that Wagner Moura is attached and that there will be “a lot of AI” used to keep costs down.

As he put it: “It’s a really good story, and nobody’s really done it. Every day that goes by it becomes more timely. I’ve just got to get it cast. I’ve got Wagner Moura. I need a few more people. I have two studios circling, but it’s all about how much I can do it for.”

Last year, Soderbergh expressed “frustration” over the box-office performance of “Black Bag,” which underperformed commercially and underscored the challenges facing original filmmaking.

In this new interview, he explains that today is a “weird time to be making movies,” arguing that assembling a recognizable cast is one of the few ways to create an “event” that encourages audiences to see a film in theaters rather than waiting for streaming.

At the same time, he has embraced AI as a creative tool. He’s been using it to generate “thematically surreal images” for a nearly finished documentary about John Lennon and Yoko Ono, explaining that the technology helps create visuals “that are kind of a surreal version of what their words try to transmit.”

Coming off a cancelled “Star Wars” project with Adam Driver, and after expressing frustration about the industry, Soderbergh appears to be entering a new phase in his career — with the Moura-led “Ascenso” looking like a strong candidate for what comes next, AI and all.