International
Likely Story in capital investment deal with Top Shelf
MUMBAI: New York-based production company Likely Story and media entrepreneur John S Johnson have purchased a 33 per cent interest in graphic novel publisher Top Shelf Productions.
Under the terms of the investment deal, Johnson will join the board of Top Shelf and Likely Story will get a first-look deal of all new Top Shelf publications.
The first project due for development through Likely Story is Alex Robinson‘s Too Cool To Be Forgotten that was named one of Amazon.com‘s top ten graphic novels of the year.
Too Cool To Be Forgotten tells of a 40-something father of two who undergoes hypnotherapy to quit smoking, only to be transported back to his teenage existence in 1985.
Forced to relive his high school life, the man must discover whether he can make amends for his past life or will be condmened to repeat prior mistakes.
Bregman introduced Johnson to Top Shelf partner Chris Staros several years ago and the relationship grew from there.
Staros joined Top Shelf founder as a partner in 1997, two years after Brett Warnock founded the company. The stable of more than 200 titles includes Alan Moore‘s From Hell and The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Craig Thompson‘s Blankets and Jeffrey Brown‘s Clumsy & Unlikely.
Among other initiatives Johnson founded the philanthropic Pacific Foundation that funds innovation in the arts, environment and social justice.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
