AI and Film by 2035: A Likely Trajectory

Production Changes

AI Actors & Digital Performers

• Deceased actors will regularly appear in new films (with estate permissions)
• Background characters and crowds entirely AI-generated
• "Synthetic actors" with no human counterpart will emerge as franchises
• A-list stars will license their digital likenesses for projects they don't physically attend

Cost Restructuring

• Mid-budget films ($10-50M) may largely disappear—either micro-budget AI productions or traditional blockbusters
• Independent filmmakers can produce visually sophisticated films for <$100K
• VFX costs plummet; pre-visualization becomes nearly indistinguishable from final product

Creative Workflow

Script & Pre-production

• AI assists with dialogue polish, plot hole detection, and generating alternative scenes
• Human writers remain essential for original vision, but AI handles "first draft" grunt work
• Instant previsualization allows directors to "see" scenes before shooting

Personalization

• Limited experiments with viewer-customized versions (different endings, pacing, even actor swaps)
• Niche content explosion—profitable films for audiences of 50,000 instead of 5 million

Industry Tensions

Labor Conflicts

• Ongoing strikes and negotiations over AI usage rights
• New guilds and protections for "digital likeness rights"
• Sharp divide between AI-embracing and "authentically human" productions

Authenticity as Premium

• "100% human-made" becomes a marketing point
• Documentary and performance-capture work gains prestige
• Film festivals create separate categories

The technology will be transformative, but human creativity, curation, and authentic performance will remain valued—just redistributed.