Movies
Vault’s Female-Led Viking Comic Book Series ‘Heathen’ Getting Film Adaptation from Catherine Hardwicke
It was originally announced back in April of last year that Constantin Film was working on a feature film adaptation of Vault’s Heathen, the critically-acclaimed comic book series created by Natasha Alterici. The series follows Aydis, a viking, warrior, outcast, and a self-proclaimed heathen. Aydis is a rescuer of the immortal Valkyrie Brynhild and battler of demons and fantastic monsters. Aydis is a woman. Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the god-king Odin.
An update comes courtesy of Deadline today, with the site reporting that Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight, Red Riding Hood) has now boarded the project as director.
“The entire Heathen team and I are incredibly excited about adapting my little lesbian viking comic for film,” Natasha Alterici said last year. “I’ve been a film fanatic for longer than I’ve been a comics fans, and that my working in one format would lead to another is nothing less than a dream come true.”
Kerry Willamson wrote the script. Constantin’s Robert Kulzer & Margo Klewans will produce with Prime Universe Film’s Adrian Askarieh. F.J. DeSanto will also produce. Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz will executive produce with Vault CEO, Damian Wassel, and Hardwicke.
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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