AI studio unveils feature-length Odyssey film as Nolan’s epic opens today

Fountain 0, a London-based AI studio, has unveiled Odysseus: The Fall, a 135-minute AI-generated retelling of Homer’s epic, due later this summer — days after Christopher Nolan‘s $250 million adaptation reached UK and US cinemas today.

TL;DR

• Fountain 0 is releasing an AI-made, 135-minute Odyssey film, Odysseus: The Fall, later this summer.
• Director Ash Koosha built it in three months using the AI video generator Kling, for a reported “mid-five figures” budget.
• The cast blends 12 human likenesses, including Koosha’s own face as the basis for Odysseus.
• Nolan’s own $250 million Odyssey, rated 15 by the BBFC for strong violence, opened in UK and US cinemas today, July 17.

Fountain 0 says it isn’t trying to beat Nolan’s blockbuster. Instead, the studio is betting that curiosity about AI filmmaking will pull some of those same moviegoers into theatres this summer.

What is ‘Odysseus: The Fall’?

Ash Koosha, the director behind the AI docu-drama Dreams of Violets, wrote, directed and voiced every character in Odysseus: The Fall, according to Variety. Koosha used the AI video generator Kling to build the film in three months of part-time work, according to Forbes.

Twelve human likenesses make up the cast, drawn from one professional actress and several models, according to NewsNation. Koosha’s own likeness forms the visual basis for the film’s Odysseus.

It’s the second AI take on Homer this year. An AI-narrated audiobook of The Odyssey landed last month, which we covered here. Koosha’s earlier film, Dreams of Violets, about the recent Iranian protests, became the first fully AI-generated live-action film accepted into the Tribeca Film Festival, according to Variety.

Why the timing next to Nolan’s Odyssey

Fountain 0 calls itself the leading AI movie studio, according to Euronews. Its chairman has said the film won’t surpass Nolan’s version, but hopes it will spark discussion around AI filmmaking and draw curious viewers toward cinemas, according to Yahoo Entertainment.

For background on the original, see our earlier trailer breakdown of Nolan’s $250 million production.

Hollywood’s AI split

Reaction to Odysseus: The Fall has been sharp. Both Euronews and Futurism described the trailer footage as generic and derivative, likening it to stock screensaver graphics rather than original filmmaking.

The film also lands amid a wider divide over AI in the industry. George Lucas said this week that AI is simply “the future” of filmmaking, comparing resistance to it to preferring horses over cars, according to Variety. Martin Scorsese has faced criticism after becoming an adviser to AI firm Black Forest Labs, according to PetaPixel.

Other directors have taken a more cautious line. Ron Howard, for one, has said audiences, not studios, will ultimately decide whether AI-generated films succeed. Nolan himself has pushed back on the trend, saying younger viewers are quick to reject what he calls “AI slop,” according to Euronews.

The UK angle: Nolan’s Odyssey opens with a 15 certificate

Nolan’s The Odyssey opened in UK and US cinemas today, July 17, following a marketing push built around IMAX 70mm screenings. The British Board of Film Classification has rated the film 15 for strong violence, according to the BBFC. The 173-minute epic stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

Fast facts

135 minutes Runtime of Odysseus: The Fall Source: Variety

Reportedly “mid-five figures” Production budget of Odysseus: The Fall Source: NewsNation, citing The Hollywood Reporter

$250 million Production budget of Nolan’s The Odyssey Source: Wikipedia

15 (strong violence) BBFC rating for Nolan’s The Odyssey Source: BBFC