Darren Aronofsky showed off the work you can do with his new AI-advanced studio Primordial Soup. Now he wants more money for it.
The company disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week that it was seeking to raise $15 million in cash in exchange for studio stock. The filing lists Mr. Aronofsky and his producing partner Dylan Golden as the venture’s chief executives, and says Primordial Soup has sold just over $11 million in stock so far this month.
A spokesperson for Mr. Aronofsky did not respond to a request for comment.
The initiative underscores Aronofsky’s ambitions in this field, with the studio behind “Requiem for a Dream” and “Black Swan” hiring a “studio head” and several “generative artists” to work on AI-focused projects. Primordial Soup was founded a year ago and partnered with Google’s DeepMind division to produce multiple short films, with each filmmaker mentored by Aronofsky and the DeepMind team.
“Filmmaking has always been driven by technology,” Aronofsky said in a statement at the time. “After the breakthrough inventions of the Lumière brothers and Edison, filmmakers unlocked the hidden storytelling power of the camera. Subsequent technological advances (sound, color, VFX) have allowed us to tell stories in ways that were previously impossible. Today is no different. Now is the time to explore these new tools and shape the future of storytelling.”
Since its launch, Primordial Soup has developed the animated series “On This Day… 1776” using a hybrid model of AI tools and traditional filmmaking techniques. Relive moments throughout the year of America’s founding.
