Soderbergh's John Lennon Documentary Will Test How Far Audiences Accept AI in Film
Steven Soderbergh is using generative video to fill gaps in his upcoming documentary about John Lennon, betting that the late Beatle would have embraced the technology. The film, John Lennon: The Last Interview, will feature AI-generated visuals making up roughly 10 percent of its runtime.
The documentary sets audio from Lennon's final in-depth radio interview-recorded with Yoko Ono on December 8, 1980, hours before his death-against archival photos and video. But portions dealing with abstract and philosophical concepts lacked suitable visuals. Soderbergh turned to Meta's AI video tools, which the company provided free to help him finish the project.
This marks a notable moment for the technology. Three years ago, an early AI video ad featuring a Lennon deepfake saying things like "give prompt a chance" was widely mocked. Now a major filmmaker is using the same tools on a high-profile project.
The Budget Question
Soderbergh acknowledges that budget constraints factored into the decision. A human animator or VFX artist could have created comparable visuals with sufficient time and resources-as evidenced by the recent George Harrison music video, which won acclaim for its handcrafted stopmotion work.
The director argues his use of AI differs from earlier examples. "There's a way of using AI in which your intention is to fool somebody or manipulate them," he said. "And then there's a use, which is what we're doing in the documentary, where it's obvious that it is AI and that it is being used essentially in the way that you would use VFX or CGI or any sort of non-photographic technology."
The Lennon Approval Question
Soderbergh says Sean Ono Lennon, John's son, told him the late Beatle "would've wanted to engage" with AI because he loved new technology and experimentation. The filmmaker notes that all of The Beatles shared that inclination.
The timing is significant. The Academy Awards just updated its rules to prohibit AI from winning awards for acting or writing. This documentary could become a test of whether audiences accept substantial AI use in visual storytelling-a different category where such restrictions don't apply.
Whether Lennon would actually approve remains an open question. The documentary will provide a real-world answer about what viewers are willing to accept when AI appears openly in a film, not hidden behind claims of authenticity.
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