AGC Intl., the sales arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, has added “Gods Don’t Give Gifts” to its slate and will introduce the animated sci-fi epic to buyers at the American Film Market.
Creator Zack London (aka Gossip Goblin) makes his feature directorial debut with the film. London’s Gossip Goblin YouTube channel has 1.4 million subscribers with previous shorts crossing more than 1 billion views.
Since its launch on Oct. 6, the “Gods Don’t Give Gifts” trailer has passed 15 million views. The film is set for a U.S. release on Dec. 4 and will be the first AI film to have a traditional theatrical rollout and awards campaign, AGC said.
The film takes viewers to the science-fiction, horror-tinged world of the “Second Cycle of Humanity” where transhumanism has accelerated to the point that humanity looks very different.
London said, “The core of ‘Gods Don’t Give Gift’ is really about what happens to ordinary human hungers and instincts when the physical limits around humanity starts to disappear. The four stories in ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ live inside that unease. They follow people using strange tools to satisfy very primal needs, exploring the strange interplay and growing disconnect between the body and the mind.”
The film is written by London and Jacob Batchelor, produced by London and Edward Saatchi, and executive produced by Abhi Som, Ravi Bhaskaran, Todd Terrazas and Gino Bautista. The characters are voiced by Ben Kersley, Victor “Goshfather” Tapia, Sam Dale, Richard Cotton, Oscar Merry, Ayça Özkan, Mark Lewis, Mike Majlak, Sarah Lockett and Oyinkansola Yusuff, among others.
Ford stated, “Zack London is a genuine auteur, and ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ is a bold, original piece of cinema: a richly imagined world, sharp and unsettling storytelling, and a filmmaker using new tools to say something urgent about our moment.”
London added, “ ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ is the culmination of 10-plus months of intense work across a full team of writers, artists, animators, voice actors, musicians and a trad post-production crew — AI was a tool to help us tell our story at scale, while still being able to maintain our core artistic vision without having to compromise or answer to other parties.”
WME Independent handled the U.S. sale and continues to consult on the theatrical plans, with AGC Intl. handling rights in the rest of the world.