AI-Generated Édith Piaf Biopic in the Works From Warner Music
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French singer Édith Piaf will become the subject of a new animated biopic, using AI to generate her voice and image 60 years after her death, Warner Music Group announced.
The film, Edith — which was made in collaboration between Warner Music, Piaf’s estate, and production company Seriously Happy — is set in Paris and New York from the 1920s to the 1960s. Piaf’s AI-generated voice will narrate the film and will include her songs “La Vie en Rose” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” as Variety reports.
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“Animation will provide a modern take on her story, while the inclusion of archival footage, stage and TV performances, personal footage, and TV interviews will provide audiences with an authentic look at the significant moments of Piaf’s life,” according to a press release from Warner Music.
AI technology trained on hundreds of Piaf’s voice clips and images will be used to regenerate her “distinct voice and image to be revived to further enhance the authenticity and emotional impact of her story.”
Based on an original idea from Julie Veille who cowrote it with Gilles Marliac, the film does not yet have a release date. Veille has previously produced TV documentary specials about Sting, Stevie Wonder, and Donna Summer.
“It has been the greatest privilege to work alongside Edith’s estate to help bring her story into the 21st century,” Veille said in a statement. “When creating the film, we kept asking ourselves, ‘If Edith were still with us, what messages would she want to convey to the younger generations?’ Her story is one of incredible resilience, of overcoming struggles, and defying social norms to achieve greatness — and one that is as relevant now as it was then. Our goal is to utilize the latest advancements in animation and technology to bring the timeless story to audiences of all ages.”
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