In his latest film, Here, Tom Hanks experiences the powerful impact of AI technology firsthand, as he and co-star Robin Wright are digitally de-aged in real time. The movie, which premiered in the U.S. on November 1, follows a couple across multiple decades as they navigate family, love, loss, and life’s transitions. Based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, Here is uniquely filmed with a static camera perspective, primarily set in the living room of a suburban house, capturing glimpses of the same geographic space across centuries, including colonial and pre-colonial eras. Director Robert Zemeckis embraced this approach to stay faithful to the book, giving the film a “powerful intimacy.”
The film’s standout technical achievement is its use of Metaphysic Live, an AI tool developed by Metaphysic, which allows actors to watch their performances de-aged immediately after each scene. “The thing that is amazing about it is it happened in real time,” said Hanks, who noted that this process eliminated months of post-production typically required for visual effects. On set, two monitors showed the scene – one as shot, and the other displaying the AI-altered version of Hanks and Wright, portraying them from their teen years to old age.
Despite Hanks’ enthusiasm for this groundbreaking tool, AI’s growing role in filmmaking has raised industry concerns. At AFI Fest, where Here premiered, Hanks acknowledged that AI stirs up apprehension among actors, especially in Hollywood, where actors and writers have recently voiced fears about AI’s impact on jobs and creativity. “A lot of people are worried about how it will be used,” Hanks remarked, referencing the 8 million online images that were used to train the technology on his likeness at various ages. These images, collected from film stills, public appearances, and family photos, were fed into a deepfake system that enabled real-time transformation.
The ambitious use of AI in Here has sparked mixed reactions. The Associated Press called the film “insanely ambitious” but argued that it loses “human connection.” The Tribune News Service critiqued the de-aging effects as unsuccessful, describing the film as “flat” and “pointless.” However, Zemeckis believes the film’s unique style offers a “wonderful” cinematic experience, aligning with the novel’s vision.
AI as a theme also appears in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, where AI disrupts the friendship between Wallace and his dog Gromit after a “smart gnome” invention goes wrong. Unlike Here, this British animated film did not use AI in production. “We don’t and we wouldn’t,” said co-director Merlin Crossingham, earning applause at AFI Fest. The film will air in the UK and Ireland on Christmas Day and will stream on Netflix worldwide starting January 3.
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