CAA has officially partnered with Tom Graham’s artificial intelligence company Metaphysic as part of the upcoming production of Sony Pictures and Miramax’s Robert Zemeckis-directed movie titled Here. Through this deal, leading stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and some of the cast members will be digitally de-aged for the film adaptation of Richard McGuire’s graphic novel of the same.
“I’ve always been attracted to technology that helps me to tell a story,” Zemeckis said in a statement (via Variety). “With Here, the film simply wouldn’t work without our actors seamlessly transforming into younger versions of themselves. Metaphysic’s AI tools do exactly that, in ways that were previously impossible! Having tested every flavor of face replacement and de-aging technology available today, Metaphysic are clearly the global leaders in feature-quality AI content and the perfect choice for this incredibly challenging, emotional film.”
Here will be directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future trilogy) from a screenplay he is co-writing with Eric Roth. The film adaptation will be produced by Playtone and ImageMovers. In addition to Hanks and Wright, MCU vet Paul Bettany and Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly have also been cast for the project.
Set to take place from the past to the distant future, the story will center around a corner of a room and the many people who have inhabited it over the years. Richard McGuire originally published the Here as a 6-page coming strip in 1957. Over five decades later, the graphic novel version of the story was released in 2014 by Pantheon Books.
This marks Zemeckis, Roth, and Hanks’ latest collaboration since 1994’s Forrest Gump, which earned them individual Oscar Awards, including for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Zemeckis and Hanks most recently worked together on Disney+’s live-action/CG-animated musical fantasy film Pinocchio.