Nova begins $10M-plus AI drama slate with real actors

Nova has started production on three original series that mix signed human performers with AI across the full workflow, with the first title set for summer 2027. The Los Angeles company says the slate marks a shift from single AI shots to full series built for global streaming platforms.

Why it matters: - Nova's slate pushes generative AI from isolated visual effects into full series production with live actors, aiming at a higher-stakes part of Hollywood. - The company is betting that streaming audiences will accept AI-assisted drama if the performances stay human and the visuals meet feature-film standards. - The project could influence how studios think about cost, speed and scale in scripted production.

What happened: - Nova, headquartered in Los Angeles, began production this month on three original series with a combined budget of more than US$10 million. - The slate includes the disaster thriller "The Last Ferry," the science-fiction epic "Starsown" and the folk horror series "Nian." - Nova says the series star signed, real-life actors, and AI is used at every stage of production. - The first title is expected to premiere in summer 2027. - The series are being developed for global streaming platforms including Netflix and YouTube.

The details: - AI is used for script breakdown, character looks, storyboards and every shot. - Lead roles are played by Nova's signed performers, with authorized digital doubles used for large-scale and effects-heavy scenes. - Each character's appearance is registered on Nova so the same face stays consistent across hundreds of shots. - Creatures in the slate, including the title beast in "Nian," are designed once and kept identical from scene to scene. - Nova says each shot is built to Hollywood feature-film lighting and texture standards. - First-look teasers for all three series are complete. - "The Last Ferry" follows a typhoon night crossing from Hong Kong to Macau, where the ferry docks at dawn to find both cities empty. - "The Last Ferry" is set in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, Japanese and Korean. - "Starsown" follows the last woman from Earth, 80,000 years after seed ships left the planet, as she meets humanity's descendants raised by AI "Mothers." - "Starsown" is in English and uses an international cast. - "Nian" is set on Lunar New Year's Eve in 1897 inside a mountain fortress in southern China, where a boy is chosen for sacrifice to the Nian. - "Nian" is told in Mandarin and English. - Nova is available in 17 languages and describes itself as a platform that combines script, cast, storyboard and final cut in one place. - The release includes AI-generated stills from the series' first-look teasers. - Nova shared social links for Instagram and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The slate is framed as a step beyond the industry's earlier use of generative AI in single sequences and short clips. - Nova is positioning itself against the idea that AI content is limited to experiments or demos. - The company is also signaling that international, multi-language productions may be a natural fit for AI-assisted workflows.

What's next: - Nova will move the three-series slate toward launch, with the first premiere targeted for summer 2027. - The company is likely to use the project as a proof point for studios, streamers and creators evaluating AI-led production pipelines. - The release suggests more teaser material and marketing around the slate will follow as production advances.

The bottom line: - Nova is trying to prove that AI can power premium scripted series end to end, not just generate showy shots.