International
Salma’s animated dream venture, ‘The Prophet’ to rope in a multi starrer voice cast
MUMBAI: Hollwood beau Salma Hayek‘s animated project is all geared to set ablaze the box office with a multi-star cast including Liam Neeson, John Krasinski, Frank Langella, Alfred Molina and Quvenzhané Wallis apart from herself.
The animated adaption of Khalil Gibran‘s The Prophet, will be helmed by Roger Allers, who has previously directed Disney‘s evergreen classic The Lion King and Open Season. Allers has also helmed the writing and storyboard of such films as Aladdin, Beauty And The Beast, andThe Little Mermaid.
The film is being produced by Hayek, Clark Peterson, and Ron Senkowski while Participant Media and Doha Film Institute are financing the project as executive producers.
Khalil Gibran‘s The Prophet, which will influence the story, is an iconic book that is one of the biggest sellers in history with over 100 million copies in over 40 languages since it was first published by Alfred Knopf in 1923.
Allers is directing the most of the movie in a narrative format, while individual chapters based on Gibran‘s poems are being helmed by animation directors from around the world, including Tomm Moore (The Secret Of Kells), Joan Gratz (Mona Lisa Descending A Staircase), Bill Plympton (Guard Dog And Your Face), Nina Paley (Sita Sings The Blues), Joann Sfar (The Rabbi‘s Cat), Paul and Gaetan Brizzi (Fantasia 2000), Michal Socha (Chick) and Mohammed Harib (Freej).
The Prophet is slated to be completed and go on floors by spring 2014.
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.
