Timur Bekmambetov Created An AI Program For Method Digital Actors

Dan Lalonde
Nov 13, 2025
2 min read

What are your thoughts on AI taking over the film industry?

Director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is talking to Variety about an AI program he created called Stanislavsky, based on the architect of method acting, which is "a technique of acting in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part, based on the system evolved by Konstantin Stanislavsky and brought into prominence in the US in the 1930s. Method acting was developed in institutions such as the Actors' Studio in New York City, notably by Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, and is particularly associated with actors such as Marlon Brando and Dustin Hoffman." That's the online definition for actors like Jared Leto being a pain in the ass on set.

Bekmambetov talks about his AI prompts: “If a character is staring out a window with a sad look, I won’t just tell the AI, ‘He’s sad.“ In the prompt, I’ll use the Stanislavski system and write something like ‘His dog died yesterday, and the sunset is reminding him of what it was like to play with his dog in the park.’ It’s not about what you want a character to do; it’s giving them a map for how to get there."

Bekmambetov spent $5 million on the program, which is used by importing the script into the program, and it suggests scenes and shots. Now, to me, that is pure lazy filmmaking. Directors have their own personal style, and I wouldn't want to watch an AI version of a Christopher Nolan film.

Bekmambetov finishes with hope for its potential: "Don’t think of AI as an angel or as the devil. Yes, it will take jobs, but what we need to focus on is how do we direct it and use it properly. Someone like Angelina Jolie, you can instruct her, but there’s a magic there that can’t be entirely replicated. Maybe actors will train their own AI models, which will allow them to work in different ways, but creative people can never be replaced.”

Do you want to watch an AI film of digital characters being prompted to express emotions? Comment below with your thoughts.