Primordial Soup, an AI film and content studio founded by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (whale, black swan, requiem for dream) Raising funds as AI-first filmmaking continues to gain traction. hollywood reporter I learned.
Earlier this month, Primordial Soup Labs, whose executive officers include Mr. Aronofsky and his producing partner Dylan Golden, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise $15 million in equity.
The company has sold just over $11 million of that total so far, with the first sale to take place on July 1, documents said.
It’s unclear what Primordial Soup will use the cash for, but its website suggests it’s in the midst of a hiring process, with openings for roles such as “generative artist,” social media strategist, chief of staff, and “studio head.”
The description emphasizes that the studio manager’s role is that the hired person will execute content strategy and studio operations, emphasizing the scale of the effort. “You will oversee the development, production, and commercialization of our slate, which includes digital-first creator content, feature films, television series, and branded content,” the description reads.
This suggests Primordial Soup will supplement film and TV projects with commercials and AI creator content.
Mr. Aronofsky and his spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
A growing number of Hollywood traditionalists are jumping into AI. Martin Scorsese is a veteran, using this technique for storyboarding. doctor who Directors are developing AI-animated films, and studios like A24 and Lionsgate are forging creative partnerships with AI companies.
Aronofsky has long focused on cutting-edge technology, becoming an early pioneer in 2018 with a three-part VR project. sphere He was produced by director Eliza McNitt, and of course he also made the movie. postcard from earth A few years ago at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Primordial Soup, founded just over a year ago with the tagline “Don’t let the soup drip,” has entered into a non-exclusive filmmaking partnership with Google DeepMind, allowing it to experiment with the company’s tools.
As part of that partnership, he and McNitt ancestor, A 45-minute feature film (first in a planned trilogy) about mothers and memory. They debuted this model at Tribeca in 2025. So Aronofsky took the stage with McNitt and DeepMind executives and said, “There are many ways to use these models. What I’m most interested in is understanding how to use these models to tell stories.”
This winter, the director took on a more public role on behalf of AI filmmaking, but there was also a lot of backlash. on this daya series of live-action short stories about the American Revolution using historical figures from the AI generation. Critics derided the project for its uncanny valley vibe, but the work became more sophisticated as it progressed. Last month, he announced something of a direction for the series, saying he was trying an animated approach, but then dropped an anime-inspired episode in which Thomas Jefferson fights King George III in a boxing ring and says lines like “Kneel before me, bitch.”
AI filmmaking is much cheaper than traditional filmmaking, but the availability of voice actors, consultation with department heads, and perhaps most importantly the time for writers and directors to shape the story all cost money, so it makes sense that Soup’s funding will be used to create even more content and push the envelope in the process.
