Alex Proyas to Shoot AI-Powered Dystopia Heaven
After a decade of silence, the director of the cult dystopia I, Robot, Alex Proyas, is preparing a new project — a film titled Heaven. The picture will be created using patented artificial intelligence technologies that allow for the construction of large-scale fantasy worlds without exceeding a reasonable budget. The project will be presented at the Cannes Marché du Film, where the creators hope to attract investors.
Since the release of Gods of Egypt in 2016, Proyas has not directed a feature-length film. One of the main reasons is financial. The very concept of Heaven came to the director long ago, but traditional estimates for its realization reached $80–100 million. Studios hesitated to greenlight the project — until technology came to the rescue.
The producer is Ex Machina Studios, a company that has developed its own AI tools. According to its representatives, these technologies make it possible to visualize complex scenes and create “epic, captivating worlds” at significantly lower costs. At the same time, the company is quick to dispel fears that artificial intelligence will replace living people on set: live actors and human-written scripts will remain at the heart of the story, with AI serving as an advanced tool for artists and set designers.
The plot of Heaven is described as a dark satire in the vein of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. At the center of the story is a desperate bureaucrat who escapes his failed life into a technologically perfect digital afterlife. However, he quickly discovers that this paradise is merely a carefully constructed illusion hiding terrifying consequences.
Principal photography is planned for Los Angeles. According to insiders, active casting is currently underway. Alex Proyas, for whom this picture marks a return to big cinema, could not be more closely associated with the theme of man versus technology. And, in a twist of irony, it is now technology that is giving him the chance to tell this story on the big screen once again.