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Steven Soderbergh says Meta AI tools were used to complete John Lennon documentary ahead of Cannes premiere
Steven Soderbergh says about 10 percent of his new documentary John Lennon: The Last Interview uses Meta’s generative AI tools to create metaphorical visuals for audio-only interview sections ahead of its Cannes premiere.
Steven Soderbergh has confirmed he used generative AI in John Lennon: The Last Interview, his new documentary made with support from Meta and the Lennon estate.
The film is built around Lennon and Yoko Ono’s final interview, recorded while promoting Double Fantasy. Because the source material is audio-only, Soderbergh said the production relied mostly on archival stills and moving footage, with AI-generated sequences filling specific gaps.
In comments to Deadline, Soderbergh said about 10 percent of the finished film uses AI video, mainly during sections where Lennon and Ono speak in abstract or philosophical terms. “The only holes that remain now are the sections where John and Yoko are talking in abstract philosophical terms,” he said.
He added that the team needed imagery that was metaphorical rather than literal. “This comprises about 10 per cent of the entire film, but it’s a real problem because we’ve got to come up with something,” he said, noting budget pressure during post-production.
According to Soderbergh, producer Michael Sugar then suggested talking to Meta, where he had existing brand-content relationships. Soderbergh said Meta viewed the project and proposed supplying access to its developing generative video tools if the production served as a real-world test case. “If you agree to be a test case for us, we will provide the tech and finish the movie,” Soderbergh recalled.
Soderbergh acknowledged AI remains contentious, but said this use was not intended to pass synthetic imagery off as real footage. He described it as comparable to VFX or CGI when clearly identifiable as non-photographic material.
He also said Sean Ono Lennon supported exploring the technology, describing John Lennon as someone who was typically curious about new creative tools.
John Lennon: The Last Interview is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month.
The project joins other film and TV productions that have moved forward with generative AI despite ongoing labor and ethics concerns across the industry, including upcoming work connected to Val Kilmer’s likeness and criticism around Darren Aronofsky’s history series On This Day… 1776.
