Here (2024, D: Zemeckis) S: Hanks, Wright, Bettany, Reilly
#1
Moderator
Thread Starter
Here (2024, D: Zemeckis) S: Hanks, Wright, Bettany, Reilly
Tom Hanks and Robin Wright may look a little younger in the upcoming movie “Here” from director Robert Zemeckis.
The film, which reunites the “Forrest Gump” co-stars after nearly 30 years, will use new hyperrealistic technology, including AI-generated face replacements and de-aging, to allow its stars to tell a story that spans generations. Based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, “Here” takes place in New England — starting as wilderness and later becoming the site of a home — against a tale of love, loss, hope, struggle and legacy.
Miramax is producing the film, which co-stars Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly and will be distributed by Sony Pictures. The upcoming technological advancements stem from a partnership between AI technology firm Metaphysic and Hollywood agency CAA. The pact, which was announced on Tuesday and kicks off with the production of “Here,” was formed to develop new generative AI tools and services for film, television and other areas of entertainment.
“I’ve always been attracted to technology that helps me to tell a story,” Zemeckis said in a statement. “With ‘Here,’ the film simply wouldn’t work without our actors seamlessly transforming into younger versions of themselves. Metaphysic’s AI tools do exactly that, in ways that were previously impossible! Having tested every flavor of face replacement and de-aging technology available today, Metaphysic are clearly the global leaders in feature-quality AI content and the perfect choice for this incredibly challenging, emotional film.”
Metaphysic was first introduced to audiences in 2022 during an episode of “America’s Got Talent” in which a photorealistic avatar of Elvis sang on stage. The performance caught the attention of creatives at CAA and Miramax, who felt the technology could unlock new opportunities in Hollywood.
“Metaphysic are industry leaders in using generative AI and machine learning to create photorealistic Hollywood-quality content, combined with their ethics-first approach and thought leadership they unlock an incredible opportunity for the entertainment industry and beyond,” said Joanna Popper, chief Metaverse officer at CAA. “Artificial intelligence will have a transformative impact on content creation and intellectual property. CAA has always been at the forefront of new technological frontiers and we are excited to work with Metaphysic in bringing the most exciting opportunities to our clients and the industry.”
The new technology that’s being deployed on “Here” is called Metaphysics Live. The tool creates high-resolution photorealistic face-swaps and de-ageing effects on top of actors’ performances live and in real-time without the need for further compositing or VFX work. According to a press release, “streaming AI-generated photorealistic content that maps onto real-world scenes at up to 30 frames per second is a dramatic advance in the technology that will be essential to creating immersive AR/VR, gaming and entertainment experiences.”
Kevin Baillie, the production visual effects supervisor on “Here” says, “The actors can even use the technology as a ‘youth mirror’ – testing out acting choices for their younger selves in real-time. That feedback loop and youthful performance is absolutely essential in achieving an authentic, delightful result.”
For Metaphysic, the hope is to continue to expanding the realm of what’s possible on screen.
“Our tools are cost-effective, movie-quality and scalable – we are being forced to reimagine how visual media is produced,” said Thomas Graham, CEO and co-founder of Metaphysic. “With the support of CAA and by working on projects like ‘Here,’ Metaphysic is demonstrating the transformative power of hyperreal AI to shape the future of entertainment and to eventually help people create AI-generated, photorealistic immersive content while they own and control their data.”
The film, which reunites the “Forrest Gump” co-stars after nearly 30 years, will use new hyperrealistic technology, including AI-generated face replacements and de-aging, to allow its stars to tell a story that spans generations. Based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, “Here” takes place in New England — starting as wilderness and later becoming the site of a home — against a tale of love, loss, hope, struggle and legacy.
Miramax is producing the film, which co-stars Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly and will be distributed by Sony Pictures. The upcoming technological advancements stem from a partnership between AI technology firm Metaphysic and Hollywood agency CAA. The pact, which was announced on Tuesday and kicks off with the production of “Here,” was formed to develop new generative AI tools and services for film, television and other areas of entertainment.
“I’ve always been attracted to technology that helps me to tell a story,” Zemeckis said in a statement. “With ‘Here,’ the film simply wouldn’t work without our actors seamlessly transforming into younger versions of themselves. Metaphysic’s AI tools do exactly that, in ways that were previously impossible! Having tested every flavor of face replacement and de-aging technology available today, Metaphysic are clearly the global leaders in feature-quality AI content and the perfect choice for this incredibly challenging, emotional film.”
Metaphysic was first introduced to audiences in 2022 during an episode of “America’s Got Talent” in which a photorealistic avatar of Elvis sang on stage. The performance caught the attention of creatives at CAA and Miramax, who felt the technology could unlock new opportunities in Hollywood.
“Metaphysic are industry leaders in using generative AI and machine learning to create photorealistic Hollywood-quality content, combined with their ethics-first approach and thought leadership they unlock an incredible opportunity for the entertainment industry and beyond,” said Joanna Popper, chief Metaverse officer at CAA. “Artificial intelligence will have a transformative impact on content creation and intellectual property. CAA has always been at the forefront of new technological frontiers and we are excited to work with Metaphysic in bringing the most exciting opportunities to our clients and the industry.”
The new technology that’s being deployed on “Here” is called Metaphysics Live. The tool creates high-resolution photorealistic face-swaps and de-ageing effects on top of actors’ performances live and in real-time without the need for further compositing or VFX work. According to a press release, “streaming AI-generated photorealistic content that maps onto real-world scenes at up to 30 frames per second is a dramatic advance in the technology that will be essential to creating immersive AR/VR, gaming and entertainment experiences.”
Kevin Baillie, the production visual effects supervisor on “Here” says, “The actors can even use the technology as a ‘youth mirror’ – testing out acting choices for their younger selves in real-time. That feedback loop and youthful performance is absolutely essential in achieving an authentic, delightful result.”
For Metaphysic, the hope is to continue to expanding the realm of what’s possible on screen.
“Our tools are cost-effective, movie-quality and scalable – we are being forced to reimagine how visual media is produced,” said Thomas Graham, CEO and co-founder of Metaphysic. “With the support of CAA and by working on projects like ‘Here,’ Metaphysic is demonstrating the transformative power of hyperreal AI to shape the future of entertainment and to eventually help people create AI-generated, photorealistic immersive content while they own and control their data.”
#2
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
re: Here (2024, D: Zemeckis) S: Hanks, Wright, Bettany, Reilly
Wow, Robert Zemeckis finds new computer technology and uses it to make a sentimental drama starting Tom Hanks. What are the odds?
#3
DVD Talk Hero
re: Here (2024, D: Zemeckis) S: Hanks, Wright, Bettany, Reilly
As long as Hanks looks as good as he did in The Polar Express, I’m in!
#4
DVD Talk Limited Edition
re: Here (2024, D: Zemeckis) S: Hanks, Wright, Bettany, Reilly
I loathe reality and talent shows, but caught the finale of America's Got Talent during a stay with relatives while wrapping up some 'family estate' stuff out of town, so had to be a gracious guest. I figured the only people to ever win (or even appear) on these awful shows were singers, dancers, etc., so these guys and their technology really grabbed my attention (and it's a million miles from Polar Express; no more soulless eyes, weird hands, etc). The potential for it was so obvious that I figured it would be only a short time before we heard about someone making a movie with it. Seems you still need performers behind the scenes, as always, but it will be interesting to see where this goes (not to mention all the other AI stuff that's evolving so rapidly now).
Last edited by Brian T; 01-31-23 at 12:26 PM.
#5
DVD Talk Legend
Here Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, & Paul Bettany 2024 Zemekis and Eric Roth film
Hanks, Wright, and Zemekis are back with Robert Zemekis for the first time since Forrest Gump
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/t...ie-1235507766/
The film, which reunites the “Forrest Gump” co-stars after nearly 30 years, will use new hyperrealistic technology, including AI-generated face replacements and de-aging, to allow its stars to tell a story that spans generations. Based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, “Here” takes place in New England — starting as wilderness and later becoming the site of a home — against a tale of love, loss, hope, struggle and legacy between couples and families over generations.
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/t...ie-1235507766/
#6
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Here Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, & Paul Bettany 2024 Zemekis and Eric Roth film
That thread title is totally clear. No notes.
#7
DVD Talk Legend
re: Here (2024, D: Zemeckis) S: Hanks, Wright, Bettany, Reilly
I created the thread originally with a rough draft but the mods fixed it to look more presentable