Hollywood’s Next Act: The AI Auteur Era
Darren Aronofsky’s leap into AI filmmaking signals the end of Hollywood’s trial phase.
If you are among the cohort of AI video creators who have been pushing the boundaries of AI tools over the past two years, many of whom I’ve interviewed on my podcast, well, the honeymoon is over. That grace period of having the AI video space to yourself while skeptical big-name directors demurred on the sidelines is over.
Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky, whose films have landed several Oscars (Black Swan, Best Actress, The Whale, Best Actor/Best Make Up) has officially jumped into the AI video creation arena with the launch of his new Primordial Soup studio. The news comes as Aronofsky recently issued a call for AI video creatives and VFX experts to join his team.
“Darren Aronofsky is seeking extraordinary AI Artists to join us on our next AI film project with Google DeepMind and beyond,” reads the job listing. “This is for artists who aren’t afraid to break things. Who are obsessed with what’s next. Who want to work with the best and be on the ground floor of a creative studio that’s rewriting the rules—and reshaping storytelling’s impact on culture.”
The skills the studio is looking for are pretty straightforward. You should have the ability to: Combine tools like Google Veo, Runway, Midjourney, and Sora with Blender, Unreal, Houdini, and After Effects. They’re also looking for anyone with experience with: 3D/VFX software like Blender, Unreal, Houdini, as well as “creative coding or scripting (Python, Blueprint, GLSL).”
The studio first tested the AI video waters with a five-minute short AI film called Ancestra, a couple of months ago, directed by Eliza McNitt, which you can watch on YouTube.
For those who have followed Aronofsky’s career, his decision to lead the charge into full-scale AI films should come as no surprise. He began his career by squeezing elite results from minuscule budgets, as demonstrated by his film Pi, which was released in 1998. The black-and-white film had a budget of $68,000 and ended up grossing $4.6 million at the box office, one of the highest performing films of all time with a budget under $1 million.
⚡️Those interested in possibly working with Aronosfsky can reach out at: opportunities@primordialsoup.ai.
The VFX Vanguard: AI’s New Power Players
Although Aronofsky’s entrance into the AI video space is big news, the last 24 months have quietly seen a gradual increase in the use of AI in major film and television projects, from video to audio and even background artwork.
The use of AI has risen so much that the Academy Awards may soon require films to disclose that they’ve used AI.
Some of the rising stars of AI post-production work include Rising Sun Pictures (face-matching a young Anya Taylor-Joy on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and on James Mangold’s Timothée Chalamet film A Complete Unknown), Metaphysic AI (also for face-matching on Furiosa and Alien: Romulus, as well as Robert Zemeckis’ and Tom Hanks film Here), Respeecher (AI audio on The Brutalist, and Emilia Pérez), Eyeline Studios (landscape AI VFX for Netflix’s The Eternaut), and DNEG (AI used for the iconic blue eyes on Dune: Part Two).
Other productions where AI was used in a more ad hoc manner include Late Night With The Devil (2024) by directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes, The Electric State (2025) by the Russo brothers, architecture consultant Griffin Frazen using Midjourney on The Brutalist, and the upcoming Uncanny Valley, directed by actress Natasha Lyonne in collaboration with Brit Marling, VR pioneer Jaron Lanier, and assisted by AI studio Asteria.
By the Numbers: AI’s Cinematic Footprint
Considering the rapid adoption of AI in traditional Hollywood, despite the concerns of various creative unions and traditionalist directors and producers, it’s time to start tracking some of the numbers on the AI-powered productions. Our first entry in that mission is below, in the form of the Business of AI Hollywood Index. Enjoy!
