Darren Aronofsky’s AI Studio Creates Revolutionary War Series With Human Voice Actors

Director Darren Aronofsky’s AI studio Primordial Soup launched On This Day… 1776, an animated series recreating American Revolution moments using AI and traditional filmmaking tools. The series will be distributed on Time’s YouTube channel throughout 2026. The short-form episodes use Google’s DeepMind AI technology but employ SAG-AFTRA union actors for voicework. Each episode recreates scenes from 1776 on their 250th anniversaries, re-framing the conflict “not as a foregone conclusion but as a fragile experiment shaped by those who fought for it.” The first two episodes premiered Thursday, covering the Grand Union Flag raising and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” pamphlet. “This project is a glimpse at what thoughtful, creative, artist-led use of AI can look like,” said Time Studios president Ben Bitonti. Episodes drop weekly to coincide with historical anniversaries. Story URL