Maggie Gyllenhaal rejects AI Marilyn Monroe, casts Dakota Johnson instead

The 17-minute short film is described as “a love letter to one of cinema’s most enduring icons” and Dakota Johnson plays the Hollywood star at the height of her fame.

A licensed AI version was trained using Marilyn Monroe films, and the idea was to place the result on Johnson's face.

We worked hard on it, but in the end I rejected it because what came through Dakota playing Marilyn Monroe was so much more moving, human and alive, says Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is also the jury president of this year's Venice Film Festival, where the film is being shown out of competition.