Doug Liman talks about his asteroid of the science fiction project XR and brings spectators beyond the stars

Almost thirty years later Doug Liman First hit Venice with SwingersThe director returned to the Festival with something completely new and ambitious. His latest project, AsteroidWhich is a complete XR (extended reality) experience that pushes the narration in unexplored territory.

Asteroidwho competed in the immersive competition of the Venice Film Festival, the stars Hailee Steinfeld, Rhenzy Feliz, Dk metcalf, Ron Perlman, Freida PintoAND Leon Mandel.

The story follows a group of strangers who fill in an old Russian soybean rocket, chasing a fortune on a nearby asteroid. The catch? Only one of them returns to Earth.

In the center, Asteroid It combines VR, AI and interactive narration in ways that the public has never seen before. Liman and his 30 ninjas team collaborated with Google and Samsung for Android XR, a new operating system designed to unite AI, AR and VR. The result is a project that seems innovative as it is cinematic.

“At 30 ninja, our mission was to embrace the new technology and the narration. I have always been interested in the films that reflect the moment when they were made – which can be through content, but also technology”, explained Liman to Venice.

“I am a big fan of Jim Cameron because he is at the forefront. He is telling stories that could not have been told until then.”

THE Asteroid The experience takes place in several parts: a pre-chat with Metcalf generated by Google Gemini assistant, a 180 degree live-action short film and an interactive extension in which the public helps to reveal what really happened on the frozen asteroid.

The spectators are dropped into the chaos of the launch, explore the ruthless soil and even take part in an interrogation on earth.

Liman admits that he was one of the most difficult projects of his career. “From the beginning, my career has been intertwined with progress in technology and obviously with asteroids, this is by far the most ambitious thing I’ve ever done.

“It is a gigantic idea of ​​Hollywood films told in a VR headset and that did not exist before. The reason I am so proud of it, it was so difficult to do and because I now get because it didn’t exist before.”

The director also returned the project to his first cinema days, remembering how Swingers It was made possible by the new film stock technology that allowed him to shoot without traditional crews and lighting configurations. For him, Asteroid It brings the same spirit of innovation, only this time on a much larger scale.

If Asteroid It will be expanded in a full film or an episodic series remains uncertain. Liman revealed that it started as a script before being reduced in experience XR:

“There is a complete story that I want to tell about asteroid that is length or more … my goal is to create films and experiences that people want most.”

For now, Asteroid It stands like a bold step forward in mixing Hollywood narration with immersive technology, giving the public a way to enter the type of movie that only Liman could dream.