'Divergent' producer launches AI film studio, 30 projects planned
What's the story
Pouya Shahbazian, the producer of the Divergent film series, has launched a new venture called Staircase Studios AI.
The groundbreaking production company will work on film, TV, and video game projects, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline processes and cut costs.
The studio hopes to deliver almost 30 projects of "near-major studio quality" within the next three to four years, with each project costing under $500K.
Acquisitions
Staircase Studios AI has acquired rights to numerous scripts
Staircase Studios AI announced that it has acquired the rights to around 20 scripts and a few intellectual properties.
The studio's first projects include a cinematic adaptation of Wild Night, a novel by New York Times bestselling author Patrick Lee, along with a procedural television series from Gabe Rotter, who worked on The X-Files reboot in 2015.
Film preview
Studio unveiled teaser of debut feature film
The studio also released a teaser highlighting the opening five minutes of its debut feature film, The Woman With Red Hair.
Helmed by Brett Stuart, the movie is based on a script by Michael Schatz, which made it to the 2016 Black List, an annual industry survey of Hollywood's best-unproduced screenplays.
The film boasts original character designs by Oscar-nominated artist Teddy Newton and additional artwork by Emmy Award-winning animator Alfred Gimeno.
AI utilization
Shahbazian aims to leverage AI for overlooked stories
Shahbazian explained his motivation for the new venture, saying, "After packaging and selling 150 projects into the studio system over the past 15 years, I've borne witness to far too much inefficiency to continue the status quo."
"Over the past year, I've dedicated myself to pairing ethical AI usage with our industry's most underutilized assets—overlooked stories waiting to be produced by fantastic writers and directors."
AI workflow
Staircase Studios AI developed a proprietary AI-powered workflow
Staircase Studios AI has created an exclusive AI-powered workflow called ForwardMotion.
The studio highlighted its dedication to collaborating with union members in all production teams, including actors who will receive industry-standard pay for voicing all dialogue.
This method is in line with Shahbazian's vision of utilizing ethical AI usage in the film industry.