Emily Blunt has expressed her disappointment over the increasing usage of algorithms in Hollywood to make projects. The landscape of the industry has changed a lot with technological advancements. However, Blunt doesn’t see it as a positive change and claims that a critically acclaimed film like Oppenheimer would not have been made if the producers trusted the algorithm.
Following the massively successful Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt is all set to appear alongside Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy. They both took to an interview to suggest how the algorithm is slowly destroying the industry by getting involved in decision-making. Recently, director Brian Helgeland also stated that the Netflix algorithm foiled his plans for A Knight’s Tale sequel.
What did Emily Blunt say about algorithms?
In recent times, several artists have expressed their displeasure with the increasing reliance of the industry on technology. Emily Blunt also joins the list while speaking about her upcoming film. When she sat with Ryan Gosling for a Vanity Fair Italy cover story, she bashed the involvement of algorithms in Hollywood’s decision-making process.
The Academy Award-nominated actress expressed strong opposition to the algorithm. She sternly questioned the technology’s success in determining what would be successful and what not.
“Some new things frustrate me: algorithms, for example. I hate that f—king word, excuse the expletive! How can it be associated with art and content? How can we let it determine what will be successful and what will not?”
Emily Blunt made her point clear by citing the example of her film Oppenheimer, which had a brilliant run at the awards season and the box office. She was sure that the algorithm could not have guessed the success of Christopher Nolan’s partly black and white, 3-hour feature, with zero action sequences.
“Let me explain with an example. I was in a three-hour film about a physicist, which had the that impact it had – the algorithms probably wouldn’t have grasped it. My hope is that ‘Oppenheimer’ and similar projects are not considered anomalies, that we stop translating creative experience into diagrams.”
Ryan Gosling also joined her in the criticism but reflected on the positive side and stated that the reliance on algorithms motivates him to do better. He said that it forces him “to be more human, to choose ‘handmade’ projects like ‘The Fall Guy,’ which is based on personal experiences, our footprints and our stories.”
Recently, the cancellation of A Knight’s Tale 2 also suggested the downside of algorithms.
How did A Knight’s Tale 2 fall prey to the Netflix algorithm?
A Knights Tale gave us one of the best performances of the late Heath Ledger. In a recent interview with Inverse, Brian Helgeland stated that after the first film’s success, they wanted to make a sequel and had several plans for it.
Initially, it was planned as a pirate movie that was rejected by Sony. Following that, it was decided that the sequel would be based on the story of William Thatcher’s offspring. Unfortunately, when it was pitched to Netflix, the streaming giant’s infamous algorithm suggested that the film would not be unsuccessful.
“I pitched it to Sony because they own the rights, and it seemed like they were interested in making it with Netflix, releasing it as a Netflix movie. My understanding is that Netflix tested this sequel idea through their algorithms, which indicated that it would not be successful.”
Brian Helgeland asserted that he found it very strange for the OTT giant not to proceed with the sequel as “A Knight’s Tale seems to get more popular with every passing year.” It cannot be denied that the algorithms may fail to get the fact that movies are more than the idea. The success of movies also highly depends on their execution.
The Fall Guy will be released on May 3, 2024.
