Warner Music has partnered with the Edith Piaf estate on a new project to use AI technology to recreate the late singer's voice and image for a new animated biopic. The film itself is to be a co-production between Warner Music and production company Seriously Happy.
The 90 minute movie will be narrated by the AI version of Piaf. Set in Paris and New York between the 1920s and 1960, it will also draw on TV performances, personal footage and interviews. The soundtrack will be made up of songs recorded by Piaf during her lifetime.
“It has been the greatest privilege to work alongside Edith’s estate to help bring her story into the 21st century”, says filmmaker Julie Veille. “When creating the film, we kept asking ourselves, ‘if Edith were still with us, what messages would she want to convey to the younger generations?’”
“Her story is one of incredible resilience”, she goes on, “of overcoming struggles and defying social norms to achieve greatness - and one that is as relevant now as it was then. Our goal is to utilise the latest advancements in animation and technology to bring the timeless story to audiences of all ages”.
Alain Veille, CEO of Warner Music France, adds: “Edith is one of France’s greatest ever artists and she is still a source of so much pride to the French people”.
“It is such a delicate balancing act when combining new technology with heritage artists”, he admits, “and it was imperative to us that we worked closely with Edith’s estate and handled this project with the utmost respect. Her story is one that deserves to be told, and through this film we’ll be able to connect with a whole new audience and inspire a new generation of fans”.
Meanwhile, the executors of the Piaf estate, Catherine Glavas and Christie Laume comment: “It’s been a special and touching experience to be able to hear Edith’s voice once again - the technology has made it feel like we were back in the room with her. The animation is beautiful and through this film we’ll be able to show the real side of Edith - her joyful personality, her humour and her unwavering spirit”.
So far, a proof of concept short film has been created, with plans to put the full-length movie into production in the near future.