Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson says he doesn’t “hate” the use of AI in movies, but thinks it’s a shame that the controversy over AI is one of the reasons Andy Serkis doesn’t win an award for his motion-capture performance as Gollum.
Speaking at a master class at the Cannes Film Festival the day after he was awarded the honorary Palme d’Or, Jackson said that while AI was “going to destroy the world”, “I don’t hate AI at all” when it comes to its use in movies.
“So, to me, it’s just special effects,” Jackson said. “It’s no different than any other special effect.”
But he said it was “absolutely important” to protect the rights of actors from having their likenesses stolen or used in films without their permission. “If you’re doing an AI reproduction of Indiana Jones or anyone else, I think it’s fine as long as you license the rights to the person showing it,” Jackson said. “It’s when people’s likenesses are stolen and appropriated.”
But one of the downsides to the current debate over AI in Hollywood is the impact it will have on award ratings for motion-capture performances, such as Serkis’ Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movies.
“A lot of the current environment is where everyone is so worried about AI…I don’t think there’s any hope for Gollum-type characters or generated characters to win any awards,” he said. “It’s a little unfair, especially in the case of Andy Serkis, that it’s not an AI-generated performance, it’s a 100% human-generated performance.”
Jackson also teased the upcoming film “The Hunt for Gollum,” which Serkis will direct and star in. When asked why he decided to let Serkis direct, Jackson said, “This movie is about Gollum’s psychology and addiction. I thought, ‘Andy knows this guy better than anyone.'” So, actually, I didn’t really think about myself (directing the new film). I thought the most exciting version of this movie would be for Andy Serkis to make it. ”
Ms. Jackson was presented with an honorary palme by “Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood at the festival’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night.
Wood, who famously played Frodo Baggins in the trilogy, told the director, “You showed the world something it had never seen before, and nothing was the same,” adding, “He helped create a whole new filmmaking culture at the ends of the world.”
In his speech, Jackson recalled that the decision to shoot most of the three Lord of the Rings films was a “huge gamble” and was called a “foolish move” by the media, who predicted that the high cost could turn into a disaster if the first film was not a hit. But the story changed 25 years ago, in 2001, when he screened a 20-minute film of “The Fellowship of the Ring” to an enthusiastic reception at Cannes, he said. “My perception of movies has changed,” he said.
