Tilly Norwood Back at Zurich; Particle 6 Unveils Storm Dogs — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Eline van der Velden returned to Zurich Film Festival's Summit one year after unveiling AI actress Tilly Norwood, telling the audience she never anticipated the backlash "in her wildest dreams" — though she had "programmed her to become the most famous AI actress."
- Particle 6 has grown eight-fold since Norwood's debut and now operates four departments covering AI advertising, film and TV, co-productions, original commissions, and AI consultancy for outside studios, van der Velden said.
- Norwood appeared on stage herself and, asked who she'd like to work with, named Tom Holland and Olivia Colman — "but only if it were their digital twins joining me in an AI production."
- Van der Velden said Particle 6 doesn't need a traditional Hollywood agent for Norwood and has rejected every offer to place her in a traditional film because "that's not what she's made for," adding she worries that exclusion saddens her because it means "the traditional industry can't participate in this new tech."
- Rob Minkoff, director of "Stuart Little" and "The Lion King," joined Particle 6's AI film "Storm Dogs" as executive producer — and van der Velden said he was among the first industry figures to reach out after last year's backlash, part of a wave of talent who signed NDAs to engage with the studio privately.
- "Storm Dogs" is an original family adventure comedy-drama from van der Velden set in an English village during a devastating storm; live-action will film human roles while the dogs and a toddler will be created using AI and traditional filmmaking, with production targeted for 2027.
- Van der Velden invoked the need for regulation and guardrails after Norwood's now-infamous Piers Morgan interview glitch where the AI randomly began speaking Cantonese: "China's a big partner. Do we need regulation? What are the guardrails?"
Why it matters: The talent is quietly following the press cycle: van der Velden disclosed that Minkoff and others signed NDAs to work with Particle 6 only after Norwood absorbed the public hit first, meaning studios wanting AI workflows can now tap a studio with eight-fold growth and a 2027 production target — while traditional Hollywood that refuses to engage risks being "completely and utterly taken over," as van der Velden put it.
Ask SkimNews
