The upcoming film "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" will be the first movie in the franchise to officially adopt machine learning technologies. Director Andy Serkis confirmed that AI will be used for digital de-aging of characters. However, according to him, this does not mean a total replacement of traditional filmmaking with neural networks.
Serkis emphasized that the foundation of filming will remain classic methods: live acting, practical effects, and manual work by artists. Artificial intelligence will only serve as a tool for post-production — primarily for facial processing, to restore the appearance of older actors to match the timeline of the story.
More than 25 years have passed since the release of "The Fellowship of the Ring." During this time, many returning performers, including Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen, have changed noticeably. Serkis did not specify which actors will undergo de-aging, but it is logical to assume that this will affect key characters whose appearance must align with the chronology of events.
This decision raises questions within the community: how ethical and technologically justified is it to use AI to alter the faces of living actors, rather than employing stand-ins or makeup? From an industry perspective, this approach could set a precedent for major studios looking to save on casting costs.
My analysis: The integration of AI into "The Hunt for Gollum" is not a revolution, but an evolution. The technology of de-aging using machine learning has long been used in Hollywood (remember Scorsese's "The Irishman"). However, what matters here is that the studio emphasizes the preservation of traditional methods. If AI truly remains only an auxiliary tool, this could be a reasonable compromise between visual quality and respect for the art of acting. But if studios in the future begin to completely replace live actors with digital copies, this would create serious ethical and legal risks for the entire film industry.