I’m no fan of AI being used for making entertainment, in fact, I’m positively anti-AI. I’m sure the technology has some uses in other industries, but in entertainment, where creativity should be at the centre, I’m skeptical of its promises and think it should be kept to a minimum. I don’t think I hold the majority opinion, however. Studios are already investing in the tech as a way to save money and speed up production, and a lot of people simply don’t have the same doubts about AI as I do, whether that’s because they simply view it as a new tool for filmmakers to use, or don’t know enough about the technology to care. It seems that it will become a part of Hollywood in the future, and once it’s established, any objections will be overruled.

I’ve written before about where AI could be used in filmmaking, but I think there’s another element to it, a way that it could be used by studios to wring every last drop out of franchises that have hit a dead-end.

Imagine what it would be like to go back to old franchises and get one more movie out of them. That film that was in development back in the ’80s but never got made, or the sequel we deserved rather than the one we got. What if we could get another Star Wars movie where Han, Luke and Leia actually go on an adventure together, rather than spending all their time being sad, depressed and useless.

Using AI, it would be possible to recreate these characters almost perfectly, feeding them the hours of footage of actors on set, and even if it’s not quite there yet, what about in five years? Look at how much it’s advanced in just three years, and with Hollywood investing in the tech and tweaking it to their specific needs, it will only get better.

It might seem like an odd, even unpleasant, thing to do, but it’s been done before, more or less, with characters like Tarkin in Rogue One, which used a digitally recreated Peter Cushing. There’s actually a lot of support for this kind of thing, with a surprising number of people preferring the uncanny Luuke Skywalker from Book of Boba Fett over a new actor taking on the role who doesn’t look exactly like Mark Hamill.

There’s even more reason to do this if the actor can give their consent. James Earl Jones already did this with his voice, allowing Lucasfilm to use it forever to create audio of Darth Vader. If the actor gives their blessing while they’re alive, it certainly helps settle any ethical concerns.

Nostalgia is still a big selling point for movies. In a way, it’s one of the only selling points modern movies have, and it doesn’t matter whether the movies are good, bad, or cynical, so long as they make a profit. At the same time, a lot of franchises are running out of steam and exhausted their ideas long ago, making it hard to wring any cash from them. But this could change.

There’s a rumour going around that Indiana Jones is set to be rebooted. Now, there are always rumours, especially around Lucasfilm, which puts out more rumours than movies, but even so, there’s a good chance it’s true. The studio only has two big franchises, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Star Wars is dead or dying, and it does seem that Indy died too with the embarrassing failure of Dial of Destiny in 2023. But still, there’s little else for them to offer, and Disney’s view is that if a franchise isn’t making money it’s not worth having (hence why we’re getting two Predator movies this year). Their only attempt at an original movie was Children of Blood and Bone, a 20th Century cast-off that’s now been taken up by paramount. So it seems likely a desperate studio would wheel out Dr. Jones again. It clearly can’t be Harrison Ford in the role, though, so will likely be a spin-off, animated show, or prequel, if it happens at all.

A prequel would raise the question of a recast, unless… Imagine how amazing it would be to see a “young Harrison Ford” in the role again, going on an adventure with a “young Marion Ravenwood”. I think a lot of audiences would brush off the fact it’s AI, so long as it looks good, in the way they brushed off the opening train sequence from Dial of Destiny. In fact, that scene was one of the best received in the film despite (or maybe because of) deepfake Indy.

It would certainly be a way to get some last few nostalgia pennies from every possible franchise. What about that Ghostbusters 3 we should have had? Or another Terminator movie with prime Arnold? Maybe another season of Star Trek TOS? There would be a few legal problems, naturally, but if the actors are still living and gave their permission–and also helped promote it–you could have a very successful movie.

This would mean, in theory, a franchise need never age or die, and could give rise to a new genre for Hollywood, that might be called “Nostalg-AI”, where old IPs are revived with the technology.

I think the success of such a course would depend on three things; the first being that the technology advances enough to be thoroughly convincing; the second being that the actors, writers, and directors involved with the original can be convinced to give their blessing; and third, that AI is tested on other movies and proves to be uncontroversial, at least uncontroversial enough not to harm the bottom line, which is what really matters.

If it all worked out then there would be no end to how much studios could use and reuse their old franchises, so long as people still wanted more, and given the way Hollywood is looking this year and in the near future, they are still tied to legacy sequels and unable to make anything that’s original and truly successful. So get ready for a new era of entertainment: the Era of Nostalg-AI!