Darren Aronofsky uses AI to bring Revolutionary War series to life
On This Day… 1776 is a short-form series executive produced by visionary director Darren Aronofsky which dramatizes some of the most pivotal moments of the Revolutionary War… and it’s AI.
On This Day… 1776
Aronofsky is producing On This Day… 1776 through his AI-focused production company, Primordial Soup. In partnership with Google’s DeepMind, the series will focus on a different key moment from that year, with each episode dropping on the 250th anniversary of its occurrence.
“This short-form historical series reexamines the American Revolution at a time when the idea of independence was far from inevitable,” reads the description. “Through pivotal figures and intimate moments, each short unfolds within the uncertainty of the moment, reframing the Revolution not as a foregone conclusion, but as a struggle shaped by the endurance of those willing to fight for what they imagined.“
The first episode focuses on George Washington’s raising of the Continental Union Flag over Prospect Hill on January 1, 1776, unifying the identity of those in defiance. The second follows Thomas Paine arriving from England, as he’s encouraged by Benjamin Franklin to write what others hesitate to say. The resulting pamphlet sends ripples from the Colonies to the other side of the Atlantic.
In a statement, Ben Bitonti, president of distribution partner Time Studios, said, “This project is a glimpse at what thoughtful, creative, artist-led use of AI can look like — not replacing craft, but expanding what’s possible and allowing storytellers to go places they simply couldn’t before.”
The Trailer for Aronofsky’s New Series
The series features SAG voice actors alongside AI-generated visuals. The result is… interesting, but it still looks very clearly like AI to me. You can check out a trailer for the series below.
Hollywood loves a historical drama, and the lack of AI has never stood in their way before, but the cost of period-accurate sets, costumes, and locations can quickly add up. So here’s the uncomfortable question: could an AI trained on mountains of historical data capture the spirit of an era—and its people—better than the old-fashioned human approach?
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