New AI-powered tech allows real-time de-aging in Tom Hanks and Robin Wright’s latest movie

In brief: The debate surrounding the use of AI in movies continues, with some instances being more accepted than others. One example is digitally de-aging actors, a technique that has been prevalent in the film industry for years. In the new Robert Zemeckis film, Here, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, this technology is used to an impressive extent.

Adapted from a 2014 graphic novel, Here is a unique film shot from a single camera perspective spanning various eras, from prehistoric times to the present day. The narrative follows the characters played by Hanks and Wright from their youth to old age, requiring extensive use of AI-powered effects.

Metaphysic, a visual effects company, was responsible for transforming the 68-year-old Hanks and 58-year-old Wright into younger versions of themselves. This process involved training machine-learning models on frames from their previous films, capturing them at different ages, angles, and lighting conditions. Films like The Princess Bride and The Man with One Red Shoe were likely part of the reference library.

Unlike conventional de-aging techniques that require extensive post-production efforts, Metaphysic Live VFX technology instantly applies the effects during filming by analyzing facial features and applying the de-aged faces in real-time, hence the “Live” aspect of the system.

The use of Metaphysic Live allowed the film crew to monitor both the unaltered footage of the actors and the de-aged versions simultaneously during the filming of Here.

What Hanks really looked like at 29

VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie explained to Variety, “This technology doesn’t require dots on faces. It doesn’t require multiple witness cameras or any other sort of intrusive technology.”

Despite featuring around 40 minutes of de-aged actors, including Kelly Reilly and Paul Bettany, playing Hanks’ character’s parents, Here managed to stay within its modest $45 million budget.

The use of CGI to digitally de-age actors has seen significant advancements in recent years, with notable improvements in creating more natural-looking younger versions of stars, as seen in films like The Irishman and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

While de-aging actors may be a less controversial application of AI in filmmaking, the recreation of deceased actors using this technology remains a contentious issue. Some have expressed concerns over the ethical implications, such as the use of CGI to bring actors back to life posthumously.