featuring @gossipgoblin
Grimes is stepping into an entirely new cinematic frontier, joining Gods Don’t Give Gifts, a science-fiction anthology being billed as the first AI film to receive a theatrical release. The film, which arrives in cinemas on December 4, will see the Grammy-nominated pop star lend her voice to a character in a futuristic world where technology, identity and humanity are increasingly intertwined.
With more than four billion views and streams across her career, Grimes brings her distinctive creative presence to the ambitious project, playing Zayinth Alda, a disaffected NiiroCore aristocrat and niece of Caen Halvorith, the inventor of the Substrate Migration Protocol. In her storyline, Zayinth visits a dreamspool dealer in the slums of East Cinder, setting the stage for an encounter within the film’s unsettling vision of the future.
Importantly, Grimes will perform the character herself, with her vocal performance remaining entirely human rather than AI-generated. Her involvement also highlights an emerging possibility for the entertainment industry, where actors, musicians and even athletes could increasingly see their likenesses brought into animated productions through AI technology while still providing their own voices.
The announcement arrives alongside a digital billboard campaign for Gods Don’t Give Gifts in New York City’s Times Square, featuring Grimes as the film builds anticipation ahead of its theatrical debut.
Set within the science-fiction, horror-tinged universe of the Second Cycle of Humanity, the film explores a future in which technological advancements have fundamentally transformed what it means to be human. Consciousness can be transferred between bodies, memories can be bought and sold, and death is no longer necessarily the end.
Directed by Zack London and written by London alongside Jacob Batchelor, Gods Don’t Give Gifts unfolds across four interconnected stories, examining the consequences of a society where the physical limitations of humanity have all but disappeared.
London, the filmmaker behind the expansive Gossip Goblin science-fiction universe, has established himself as one of the emerging creative voices in AI filmmaking. His work has accumulated nearly one billion views on YouTube, with his approach combining generative AI, science fiction, body horror, dark humour and philosophical storytelling.
His contribution to the evolving entertainment landscape has also attracted industry recognition. The Hollywood Reporter included both London and producer Edward Saatchi in its prestigious The AI 25: The Exclusive Group of People Shaping the Future of Hollywood, highlighting their respective contributions to the intersection of artificial intelligence and filmmaking.
Speaking about the creative foundations of the film, London explained that its central focus is the relationship between human instinct and technological advancement.
“The core of ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ is really about what happens to ordinary human hungers and instincts when the physical limits around humanity starts to disappear,” London said.
He explained that the four stories explore characters using extraordinary technologies to satisfy deeply familiar desires, creating an increasingly complicated relationship between the body and the mind.
Rather than depicting a traditional dystopian apocalypse, London is interested in a more unsettling possibility: a world where everything continues functioning as intended, society appears to prosper, and yet humanity itself gradually disappears.
“The systems and markets and technologies all work as intended, and humans generally seem to prosper as a whole – it’s just that their humanity, at least as we know it, is fading towards extinction,” he added.
London is equally interested in challenging conventional expectations of science fiction. Describing the project as part speculation and part critique, he emphasised that the film is not intended to suggest technology is inherently bad. Instead, it explores the emotional and philosophical consequences of technological progress, allowing its ideas to become strange, funny, grotesque and occasionally heartbreaking.
Behind the project is Fable, the AI-focused entertainment company backed by Amazon, which is supporting Gods Don’t Give Gifts as co-producer.
Fable CEO Edward Saatchi brings considerable experience in emerging entertainment technologies, having been part of the founding team of Oculus Story Studio, the virtual reality filmmaking division of Oculus VR. His previous studio produced the Emmy-winning animated short Henry, starring Elijah Wood, alongside Dear Angelica, featuring Geena Davis and Mae Whitman, and the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Wolves in the Walls, featuring Jeffrey Wright, Noah Schnapp and Isabella Rossellini.
Fable has also attracted attention for its ambitions to build what Saatchi describes as a Netflix for AI-generated entertainment. Among its notable projects is an ambitious attempt to reconstruct the missing 43 minutes of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, combining live-action performances, archival research and generative AI.
For Saatchi, however, the appeal of Gods Don’t Give Gifts goes beyond showcasing what artificial intelligence can achieve.
“The most important thing to us is to work on projects that will stand the test of time – this film by Zack is a masterpiece, not a demonstration of where the technology is, but a brilliantly written and paced story that will move audiences,” Saatchi said.
He described the film as beautiful and exciting while acknowledging its exploration of challenging themes surrounding desire, the passage of time and the choices people make.
“This is a movie – and we’re so excited for people to see it on the big screen.”
With AI-generated filmmaking continuing to generate conversation across Hollywood, Gods Don’t Give Gifts arrives at an interesting moment for the industry. Its theatrical release represents another significant step in the conversation surrounding how artificial intelligence could reshape animation, storytelling and the creative process.
Whether audiences embrace this new approach remains to be seen, but with Grimes joining its cast and an experienced creative team behind the production, the film is positioning itself as more than a technological experiment. At its centre is a collection of stories about desire, identity and what might remain of humanity when almost every physical limitation can be overcome.
About Gods Don’t Give Gifts
Gods Don’t Give Gifts is a 107-minute science-fiction horror anthology set in the Second Cycle of Humanity, where consciousness transfers, memory trading and the elimination of permanent death have transformed civilisation.
The four interconnected stories are framed by an ancient, omniscient AI and linked by a street preacher who protests against technology’s growing influence over humanity. Each story follows a different character navigating this strange new world: a scientist obsessed with humanity’s next evolution, an android searching for one warm memory, a fighter trapped in a rigged game, and a disillusioned aristocrat desperate to experience awe one last time.
Director: Zack London
Writers: Zack London and Jacob Batchelor
Starring: Grimes
Runtime: 107 minutes
Rating: R
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
In Cinemas: December 4
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