An AI-made movie is about to test whether audiences will show up in theaters. Gods Don’t Give Gifts, from YouTube creator Zack London, is heading to the American Film Market with AGC International handling sales, according to Variety.
Stuart Ford’s AGC International is selling the film to international buyers at AFM, while WME Independent handled the U.S. deal. The movie is set to open in U.S. theaters on December 4, according to Variety.
London built his following on YouTube, where his channel has 1.4 million subscribers and more than 1 billion views on its shorts. The film’s trailer has picked up more than 15 million views since it was released on October 6.
AGC is billing Gods Don’t Give Gifts as the first AI-made film to get a traditional theatrical rollout and an awards campaign.
Here’s what the movie is about and who’s behind it.
What Gods Don’t Give Gifts Is About
The film is set during what it calls the “Second Cycle of Humanity” and explores transhumanism through four connected stories. London wrote the script with Jacob Batchelor, and he produced it with Edward Saatchi.
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London told Variety that “AI was a tool” in making the movie, framing the technology as part of the process instead of the whole story. Ford called London “a genuine auteur” and the film “a bold, original piece of cinema,” according to Variety. The voice cast includes Ben Kersley, Sam Dale, Richard Cotton, and Oscar Merry, among others.
Theatrical releases for movies built mostly with AI are still rare, which is part of why AGC is leaning into the idea of a full release instead of a streaming debut. The company hasn’t shared how many theaters will carry the film in December.
AFM is one of the film industry’s biggest sales markets, where producers and sales companies meet buyers from around the world to sell distribution rights. For this movie, that means AGC will be working country by country to find theaters outside the U.S. before the December release.
Why Gods Don’t Give Gifts Is a Big Test
Hollywood is still sorting out how it feels about AI. Studios are experimenting with the tools, while many writers, actors, and artists have pushed back on how they’re being used. A wide theatrical release puts the debate in front of paying moviegoers.
London’s large online audience gives the film a built-in base that most indie projects don’t have.
Some fans have praised the trailer’s look, while others have questioned whether audiences want AI-made features at all.
London told Variety the film took more than 10 months of work from writers, artists, animators, voice actors, and musicians. He said its four stories follow people using strange tools to satisfy very primal needs.
For now, Gods Don’t Give Gifts is set for its December 4 U.S. release while AGC shops it to buyers overseas.
Would you buy a ticket to see an AI-made movie in theaters? Let us know in the comments.
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