While the crypto industry debates the boundaries of artificial intelligence in finance and DeFi, the major film industry is taking its own steps in this direction. The new film "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" will become a testing ground for modern AI technologies.
The film's director, Andy Serkis, has officially confirmed that machine learning will be used in production for digital de-aging of characters. This is not just a marketing gimmick — the technology will allow iconic actors to return to the screen in their "golden" form without the need for expensive and labor-intensive traditional makeup.
An important nuance: the film will not be entirely synthesized by artificial intelligence. Serkis emphasizes that the project will retain classic filming methods and practical effects. AI serves only as a post-production tool, not as a replacement for live acting.
Which actors may undergo "de-aging"?
Serkis does not reveal specific names, but logic suggests obvious options. More than 25 years have passed since the release of the original "The Fellowship of the Ring." Among the returning actors are Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf). For them, digital de-aging is not a matter of aesthetics but of narrative necessity, if the film's events unfold in a timeline close to the original trilogy.
My analytical assessment: Using AI for de-aging is not just a technical experiment but an economically justified step. The cost of CGI de-aging for one character in Hollywood can reach $1-2 million per 10 minutes of screen time. Machine learning can reduce these costs by 40-60% while maintaining quality. For the blockchain and crypto community, this is a clear example of how AI technologies are penetrating the real economy, creating new markets and reducing operational costs. The question is who will control these AI models and how the rights to an actor's digital likeness will be protected — a topic that will soon become as hot as stablecoin regulation.