Matt Damon and a Fake James Dean
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Robert Towne's legacy, Always Sunny's shadow, Italian Beetlejuice and Over the Rainbow and Into the Uncanny Valley.
Let’s go!
A FAKE JAMES DEAN
James Dean died at 24 but soon, he will be able to read you a bedtime story.
That’s because ElevenLabs, a leading AI platform that has developed deep expertise in synthesizing the human voice, has struck a licensing agreement for the voices of:
James Dean (d. 1955)
Judy Garland (d. 1968)
Laurence Olivier (d. 1989)
Burt Reynolds (d. 2018)
Their estates have signed the agreements, and ElevenLabs now has full ability to exploit their voices for its Reader App, which reads articles, PDFs, newsletters or any other written content.
What do we gain by bringing back these screen legends from the grave?
AI does not resurrect the dead (although this documentary makes the argument); it is a digital simulacrum that devalues these great artists.
I want to hear the real Judy Garland sing “Over the Rainbow,” I want to listen as James Dean screams, “You’re tearing me apart” and I want to sit in rapture as Olivier delivers a Shakespeare monologue.
For the love of God, don’t make them read lesser works that they have not agreed to.
No matter how good AI gets, human connection with other humans is the very foundation of humanity, and as storytellers, we should never lose sight of that fact.
Liza Minnelli (Garland’s daughter), in her infinite sweetness, noted that: