Maggie Gyllenhaal Abandons AI for Dakota Johnson's Marilyn Monroe Film
At the Venice International Film Festival, jury head Maggie Gyllenhaal revealed her initial attempt to apply AI in a short film project inspired by Marilyn Monroe. She sought to transform Dakota Johnson into Monroe but ultimately favored Johnson’s authentic performance. The film envisions Monroe living beyond her untimely death at 36, featuring both an aged portrayal and Johnson as the younger version. Gyllenhaal emphasized the inadequacy of the AI, which was a custom model leveraging licensed images, and raised concerns over AI's environmental impact, citing a recent incident in Oklahoma that resulted in a significant water loss amid drought conditions.
Key facts
- Maggie Gyllenhaal is jury president at the Venice International Film Festival.
- She directed the short film 'Flesh Impact' starring Dakota Johnson.
- The film imagines Marilyn Monroe alive at 100, with Johnson playing her in her 30s.
- Gyllenhaal used AI trained exclusively on licensed Monroe images, not OpenAI.
- She discarded the AI because Johnson's performance was more moving and human.
- She cited environmental concerns about data centers in South Memphis and Oklahoma.
- A data center in Oklahoma lost 3 million gallons of water in a leak during a drought.
- The film was commissioned with a request to use AI.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Venice International Film Festival
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- South Memphis
- United States
- Oklahoma