Darren Aronofsky uses AI to recreate the American Revolution for new series

Darren Aronofsky is using artificial intelligence to recreate key moments from the American Revolutionary War in a new series that blends historical storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

The filmmaker is executive producing On This Day… 1776, a short-form project made through his AI-focused company Primordial Soup in partnership with Google DeepMind and Salesforce. The series will roll out weekly on Time Magazine’s YouTube channel throughout the year.

Each episode combines scripted narration from SAG voice actors with AI-generated visuals to dramatise pivotal events from 1776, released on the 250th anniversary of the moment being depicted.

Rebuilding history with AI

The first episodes focus on George Washington raising the Continental Union Flag in Massachusetts and Benjamin Franklin encouraging Thomas Paine to publish Common Sense, a pamphlet that helped shift public opinion in the colonies.

According to the producers, the goal is to present the American Revolution as a fragile and uncertain experiment rather than an inevitable outcome.

Why Aronofsky is turning to AI

Aronofsky has said the project is designed to explore how AI can support traditional filmmaking rather than replace it. By using AI to reconstruct large-scale historical settings, the series avoids the time and cost typically required for period productions.

Time Studios president Ben Bitonti said the project shows how artist-led uses of AI can expand storytelling possibilities, particularly for historical drama that might otherwise never be made.

A growing intersection of Hollywood and AI

The series arrives as debates continue across the film and television industry about the role of artificial intelligence in creative work.

By applying AI to real historical events rather than science fiction or fantasy, On This Day… 1776 positions itself as a test case for how emerging technology might be used in mainstream storytelling.

New episodes will be released weekly through the end of the year.