Robot to star in new Tony Kaye movie 2nd Born
Watch out human actors. Robots could be competing for your roles.
Tony Kaye wants to cast a real robot in his next movie.
Robot characters have been featured in movies for over a century, starting with the 1921 film The Mechanical Man.
But now British filmmaker Tony Kaye (American History X) wants to hire an AI actor to star in his upcoming movie 2nd Born.
Kaye plans to cast an AI robot, which he plans to train in various acting methods. (Fingers crossed for Marlon Brando-style method acting technique.)
Kaye and producer Sam Khoze came up with the idea of skipping usual computer-generated visual effects in favor of an actual physical AI robot as an actor.
They're also hoping the robot will get recognition from the Screen Actors Guild, according to a report from Deadline on Wednesday.
The film 2nd Born, which hasn't been written yet, will be a sequel to the upcoming 2018 indie comedy 1st Born (directed by Ali Atshani and starring Val Kilmer, Tom Berenger and Denise Richards, among others).
That film's about a young Iranian and an American couple whose complicated pregnancy forces their families to find common ground.
What's this? Hiring a robot actor play a human role? When there are so many great human actors who could play the part, it's hard to put this on anything other than any-human bias in Hollywood. Still a botsclub. https://t.co/tSWtmiRUk6
— Pat Dixon (@patdixon) August 15, 2018
The reaction to the robot casting isn't all positive.
Comedian Pat Dixon tweeted on Wednesday, "What's this? Hiring a robot actor play a human role? When there are so many great human actors who could play the part, it's hard to put this on anything other than any-human bias in Hollywood. Still a botsclub."
Robots are getting more and more savvy when it comes to performance. They've already danced, appeared in plays and operas and done stand-up comedy.
The big screen feels like a logical next step.
No official word yet on the plot or casting choices for 2nd Born.