AI Project to Recreate Lost Third of Orson Welles’ ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’

AI to restore 43 missing minutes of Orson Welles' film "The Magnificent Ambersons."

The company Showrunner intends to use AI to restore 43 missing minutes of footage from Orson Welles’ 1942 classic film, “The Magnificent Ambersons,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The firm will employ a combination of artificial intelligence tools and traditional filmmaking methods. These include shooting scenes with live actors, whose resemblance to the original characters will be enhanced using deepfake technology.

The project will be led by director Brian Rose, who has restored 30,000 frames of the film over the past five years. He recreated physical sets in 3D models, using them to accurately determine camera movements in line with the script, on-set photographs, and archival records.

The original version of “The Magnificent Ambersons” was 131 minutes long, but Welles ceded final cut rights to RKO Gower Street Studios (now Sunset Gower Studios). As a result, the film was reduced to 87 minutes, and nearly a third of the shot negatives were destroyed by the studio without the director’s knowledge to free up archive space.

Released in 1942 by the creator of “Citizen Kane,” the film received positive and even enthusiastic reviews from critics. In 1991, the U.S. Library of Congress deemed the work significant enough for inclusion in the National Film Registry. In 2002, a remake of “The Magnificent Ambersons” was produced in Hollywood.

Showrunner aims to complete the film’s recreation within two years. However, the AI firm cannot release it commercially as it has not acquired the rights.

“The goal is not to commercialize the 43-minute film but to bring it to light after 80 years during which people have wondered: ‘Could it have been the best film in its original form?'” said Showrunner CEO Edward Saatchi.

He added that if the company sees demand for the product beyond an “academic context,” it will certainly acquire the rights.

Commenting on the expanding use of AI tools in the film industry, Saatchi described Showrunner as the “Netflix of artificial intelligence.” The firm aims to enable users to create their own full-fledged film versions as fan fiction using the technology.

“Today, AI cannot extend a story beyond a short episode, but the company’s tools are a step towards a frightening and strange future of generative storytelling,” said the head of Showrunner.

Progress in AI technology has raised concerns about potential unemployment not only among Hollywood professionals but also among ordinary American citizens.