AI to restore Orson Welles’ lost ‘Magnificent Ambersons’

Amazon-backed artificial intelligence company Showrunner announced a project to reconstruct the missing 43 minutes of Orson Welles' acclaimed 1942 film "The Magnificent Ambersons," marking a notable attempt to use AI technology to restore cinema's most legendary lost footage. The announcement, made at the Venice Film Festival, represents one of the first major tests of AI's capacity to recreate extended live-action film sequences.news.ssbcrack+2

The ambitious endeavor stems from one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries. After poor test screenings, RKO studio executives cut Welles' original 131-minute version to 88 minutes, removing the film's darker elements and replacing them with a happy ending. The discarded footage was subsequently destroyed to free up storage space, leaving film scholars and enthusiasts to wonder what many believed could have been Welles' masterpiece.inkl+1

Technical Collaboration and Methodology

Showrunner, operated by CEO Edward Saatchi's Fable Studio, will collaborate with filmmaker Brian Rose, who has spent five years reconstructing the missing portions through meticulous research. Rose created 3D models of the original sets, animated sequences based on production notes, and mapped out 30,000 frames using surviving documentation and photographs.news.ssbcrack+2

"We're starting with Orson Welles because he is the greatest storyteller of the last 200 years," Saatchi told IndieWire. The project will utilize Showrunner's new FILM-1 model to generate keyframes, reconstruct camera movements, and employ face-swapping technology with live actors to approximate the original performances.inkl+1

VFX specialist Tom Clive, formerly of Metaphysic, will join the effort, bringing expertise in face-swapping and de-aging techniques previously used in films like "The Irishman". The reconstruction will combine AI-generated elements with live-action footage, utilizing archival materials and Welles' surviving production notes.forbes

Academic Focus and Industry Implications

Saatchi emphasized that the project serves academic rather than commercial purposes, as Warner Bros. Discovery holds the rights to the original film. The reconstructed footage will primarily exist for scholarly research and demonstration, with potential screenings in academic venues around 2027.inkl+1

"The goal isn't to commercialize the 43 minutes," Saatchi explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "Our focus is strictly academic, and we won't release this outside of an academic setting. The goal is to ensure they exist in the world after 80 years of speculation about whether this could have been the finest film ever made in its original form."forbes

The project represents a broader test case for AI's role in entertainment production, arriving amid ongoing industry debates about artificial intelligence's impact on creative work. Showrunner describes itself as the "Netflix of AI" and has received backing from Amazon, positioning the Welles reconstruction as a demonstration of AI's potential positive contributions to filmmaking rather than mere cost-cutting measures.mashable+1

The two-year project timeline places completion around 2027, potentially offering film historians their first glimpse of Welles' complete vision for what he believed would surpass "Citizen Kane" as his greatest achievement.forbes