Three months after Elon Musk announced plans for an AI-generated film version of "The Odyssey," Grok released Episode 1 of the series, running seven minutes. The film was produced with Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker, and while AI-generated, it was criticized for lacking artistry and human interest.
Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas has signed on to star in "Cortés," an epic feature co-produced by AI film studio Utopai Studios and Ex Machina Studios, playing Spanish commander Hernán Cortés. The film is scheduled for release in 2027. The screenplay had been dormant for more than three decades after multiple failed attempts to bring it to production.
On October 3, the inaugural Astana AI Film Festival announced its winners. Latvian director Nikolay Shestak won the grand prize of $450,000 for "The First Honest Day," followed by entries from India and Spain in second and third place. Chinese team 2xLabs took the Best Story Award for "The Last Span." The festival received 8,067 submissions from 125 countries and regions, with 25 finalists using over 80 generative AI models.