The startup known as Showrunner, which aims to transform the entertainment industry by enabling users to generate AI-created videos featuring copyrighted intellectual property, has announced a new initiative to restore a classic film by Orson Welles.
On Friday, the company revealed its development of an innovative generative AI model designed to reconstruct missing footage from The Magnificent Ambersons. Originally directed by Welles in 1942, this film is based on Booth Tarkington’s 1918 novel about a wealthy family grappling with the impact of industrialization. After Welles completed a 131-minute version, RKO Pictures, without his consent, cut the film to 88 minutes, leading to a version that Welles later disavowed.
Despite the shortened runtime, the studio’s edit was nominated for four Academy Awards and is widely acknowledged as one of Welles’ significant works. Tensions with RKO led Welles to express deep regret over the film’s alteration, stating that “they destroyed Ambersons and it destroyed me.”
Showrunner is optimistic that its generative AI capabilities can restore the lost footage, enabling audiences to experience The Magnificent Ambersons as Welles envisioned. Edward Saatchi, co-founder of Showrunner, shared with The Hollywood Reporter that while the current iterations of generative AI struggle to create cohesive narratives across full-length films, he believes advancements in technology will make this possible in the near future.
Welles had meticulously noted his editing preferences for The Magnificent Ambersons, but RKO disregarded these instructions and later destroyed the negatives of the lost footage for storage reasons. To navigate these challenges, Showrunner plans to utilize a combination of AI-generated approximations of Welles’ original shots and scenes featuring live actors whose faces will be digitally altered to resemble the original cast. The company’s FILM-1 model will create keyframes for the missing content, with set photographs serving to establish the film’s environment.
Showrunner has enlisted Tom Clive, an AI visual effects artist experienced in face-swapping technology and known for his work on Alien: Romulus and Here, to aid in this project. Additionally, filmmaker Brian Rose, who previously attempted a restoration of Ambersons through hand-drawn animation based on Welles’ shooting script, is also contributing to the restoration effort.
In a 2023 interview with NPR, Rose mentioned that one major challenge was populating his recreated scenes with characters. He also highlighted the complications stemming from Warner Bros. Discovery’s ownership of the intellectual property rights to The Magnificent Ambersons, indicating some uncertainty regarding the legal implications of releasing the restoration.
Showrunner has demonstrated a willingness to operate outside conventional boundaries. The company gained attention in the past for launching unauthorized episodes of South Park created using its own generative AI models. To mitigate potential legal issues, the firm has decided to refrain from monetizing the Ambersons restoration.
Saatchi clarified that the primary motivation for this initiative is not profit but rather to allow the public to witness the lost footage after decades of speculation surrounding its potential as “the best film ever made in its original form.” He also mentioned that if the intellectual property holders see a viable path for distribution outside of an academic sphere, Showrunner would willingly transfer the project to them.
This approach aligns with the aspirations of AI-driven founders eager to establish their credibility and secure partnerships with influential entities in the entertainment sector.
