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Can AI resurrect cinematic history? Entertainment startup Showrunner is betting on it, embarking on a project to reconstruct missing footage from Orson Welles’ 1942 masterpiece, ‘The Magnificent Ambersons.’ The film, notoriously butchered by RKO Pictures, saw Welles’ original 131-minute cut slashed to 88 minutes, with the excised scenes later destroyed. Now, Showrunner hopes to leverage its new generative AI model, FILM-1, to recreate these lost moments and offer audiences a glimpse into Welles’ original vision.

The ambitious restoration effort will blend AI-generated approximations of the missing footage with scenes featuring live actors, their faces manipulated to mirror the original cast. While generative AI faces challenges with long-form narratives, Showrunner co-founder Edward Saatchi remains optimistic, citing the technology’s rapid progress. Should the reconstruction prove successful, Showrunner intends to offer the restored footage to the IP holders, Warner Bros. Discovery.