Steven Soderbergh’s Bold Pivot on His Next Films Is Set to Divide Fans

Well, here we go: Steven Soderbergh, never exactly one to go with the Hollywood flow, is back with a move that’ll probably make his fans either very curious or very nervous. If you’ve followed Soderbergh’s career, you already know he likes to mess with format and tech (anyone else remember Unsane shot on an iPhone?). But this time he’s wading into even hotter territory—AI.

AI: Soderbergh’s Latest (and Most Divisive) Tool

In a recent chat with Filmmaker Magazine, Soderbergh dropped a couple of news nuggets that had film Twitter reaching for their popcorn. Turns out, not only has he been dabbling with AI lately, but his upcoming projects are leaning into it in a big way.

First up, he’s working on a documentary all about John Lennon and Yoko Ono—yes, that John Lennon and that Yoko Ono—and he’s using AI to conjure up what he calls ‘thematically surreal images that occupy a dream space rather than a literal space.’ Interpret that however you want, but basically, we’re talking artful weirdness powered by computers.

Soderbergh was pretty clear that he’s not just letting an algorithm run wild. Here's how he put it:

'AI has been helpful... but like any other technology, it still requires very close human supervision.'

He’s Not Stopping There: Enter the Spanish-American War Project

The even bigger gamble? Soderbergh’s also cooking up a movie about the Spanish-American War, and according to him, this one will feature ‘a lot of AI.’ The reason isn’t a secret: money. War movies are expensive, and AI can apparently help cut some corners—at least in theory.

Here’s the rundown:

• Cast (so far): Wagner Moura (yes, from Narcos), plus Soderbergh says he still needs a few more names to sell it to studios.
• Status: Two studios are hovering, but nobody’s committed until Soderbergh figures out just how cheap he can make it look good for.
• Director’s Take: He admits it’s a ‘weird time to be making movies’ and hopes a hot cast will make people feel like they need to show up now, not just wait for streaming.

The Blowback—and Why Fans Are Twitchy

Let’s be honest: the words ‘AI’ and ‘movie’ together are enough to make a lot of film lovers break out in hives. Soderbergh’s comments didn’t exactly soothe anyone; they just fired up the debate all over again. To some, AI in movies means soulless, fake-looking visuals and, potentially, less work for living, breathing artists. It’s not that Soderbergh is breaking new ground here (AI’s been creeping into moviemaking for a while now), but to have a director of his reputation talk about using it ‘a lot’—that hit a nerve.

Soderbergh, for his part, doesn’t seem to be doing this out of some burning desire to be on the digital edge, but because—like everyone else—he’s trying to make movies at a time when the economics are honestly kind of brutal. Still, if a guy as respected as Soderbergh is hopping on the AI express, that pretty much guarantees this debate is going nowhere anytime soon.

Call it bold, call it worrisome, call it just the reality of making movies right now—but one thing’s for sure, the Soderbergh AI Experiment is not going to slip by unnoticed.