EXCLUSIVE: Ex Machina Studios and K5 International are breathing new life into Alex Proyas‘ passion project Heaven, which K5 will be pre-selling at the upcoming Cannes market.

I, Robot, The Crow and Dark City filmmaker Proyas hasn’t directed a film in a decade, since The Gods Of Egypt, but Heaven joins Ex Machina’s “AI-enabled” slate, which is being sold by K5.

Australian writer-director Proyas has spent years developing the film, which concerns a “desperate bureaucrat who escapes his failing life by entering a technologically perfected afterlife — only to discover that paradise is a carefully constructed illusion with terrifying consequences.”

The dark satire, described as being “in the tradition of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil“, will be produced using Ex Machina Studios’ proprietary AI. According to the company, the tech allows for “expansive worlds to be realized at a responsible budget while preserving the primacy of real actors, human-authored narratives, and guild-aligned production practices”.

Producer-distributor Icon was attached to the long-gestating project some years ago but is no longer aboard and Proyas is now hoping that AI-assisted production can help realise the immersive vision he has in mind for the film. Principal work on the project will be based in LA and casting discussions are underway.

As we revealed earlier this year, Ex Machina is spearheaded by producer Marco Weber (Igby Goes Down), filmmaker Martin Weisz (The Hills Have Eyes II) and Pluto TV co-founder and former Paramount streaming CEO Tom Ryan, employing tech from Sunnyvale, CA-based Utopai Studios. K5 has been selling projects for the company at the last couple of major markets.

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Marco and the Ex Machina team to bring Heaven to the screen. This is a true passion project for me, and the opportunity to realize such a visually bold and emotionally resonant story is enormously exciting,” said Proyas who most recently produced 2023 thriller Mercy Road starring Luke Bracey and Toby Jones.

“Alex and I have been wanting to work together for a while, and Heaven is the perfect project for our collaboration. It combines his extraordinary talent as a world-builder and storyteller with Ex Machina’s advanced production pipeline — and with our uncompromising commitment to the director’s vision,” added Weber.