Chuck Russell Unveils AI‑Driven Sci‑Fi Films ‘Hyperia’ and ‘b’ at Cannes

The central idea is to use AI tools throughout production rather than as a limited add‑on. According to coverage of the announcement, the workflow will incorporate AI from early creative development through post‑production, representing a more integrated approach than typical AI‑assisted filmmaking today.

What “Hyperia” Is About

Among the two films, “Hyperia” currently has the most publicly known story details. The film centers on a fugitive forced into a dangerous hover‑sled race on an extraterrestrial world, a high‑stakes scenario that blends action and science‑fiction worldbuilding.

The premise suggests a visually ambitious setting—an alien environment with creatures, vehicles, and large‑scale racing sequences—making it a fitting test case for AI‑assisted design and visual production.

What We Know About “b”

The second project, “b,” has been announced as another original sci‑fi feature, but story details have not yet been publicly revealed in available coverage.

For now, the title and genre positioning are the main confirmed information. The film appears to share the same experimental production approach as Hyperia, with generative AI tools embedded throughout the filmmaking process.

How Higgsfield’s AI Tools Will Be Used

The partnership aims to deploy AI across multiple stages of production, including:

• Worldbuilding and environment creation
• Creature and asset design
• Visual effects and compositing
• Editing and post‑production

In addition, the productions plan to combine live actors filmed on LED stages with AI‑generated environments built around them, a workflow similar to modern virtual production techniques.

Higgsfield’s filmmaking environment is designed to combine video generation, reusable assets, and collaborative tools within a single production system, allowing filmmakers to generate and iterate on cinematic elements quickly.

Who Is Involved

The announcement brings together several notable participants:

• Chuck Russell – Director of films including The Mask, Eraser, and The Scorpion King, leading the creative effort.
• Neumorphic AI – Russell’s company, which is developing AI‑driven production workflows for the projects.
• Higgsfield – A generative video platform providing the AI filmmaking tools used across production.

No cast members, distributors, or release dates have been publicly confirmed so far.

Why the Announcement Matters for the AI Debate at Cannes

The reveal comes at a moment when AI’s role in filmmaking is under intense debate within the film industry.

At Cannes and across Hollywood, many filmmakers are cautiously exploring AI tools to automate time‑consuming processes like editing and visual effects. At the same time, festival organizers have drawn a line: films primarily driven by generative AI are not eligible for the Palme d’Or competition, reflecting ongoing concerns about authorship and creative integrity.

Against that backdrop, the Hyperia and b announcement stands out because the projects openly embrace AI as a core production framework rather than a background tool. Whether the approach becomes a new filmmaking model—or remains an experimental outlier—will likely depend on how successfully these projects translate AI‑assisted workflows into compelling finished films.

What’s clear is that the conversation around AI and cinema is no longer hypothetical. With established directors and production companies now building feature films around generative tools, the industry is entering a new phase where technology, creativity, and regulation will increasingly collide.