The Mill & Layered Reality to recreate Elvis Presley

Technicolor and its studio The Mill have agreed a strategic partnership with immersive entertainment company Layered Reality.

The Mill will work on a number of projects with Layered Reality, including recreating Elvis Presley using AI, augmented reality, live theatre and multi-sensory effects for an immersive experience that will be in London from Spring 2025. 

Layered Reality, which gained the global rights to create ‘Elvis Evolution’ from the owners of Elvis’ estate Authentic Brands Group in January, will lead the production with its in-house studio team. This includes executive producer Oran Doyle (Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, Stranger Things: The Experience); digital producer Catherine Hayward (Commonwealth Games); production manager Al Parkinson (Royal National Theatre, Cameron Mackintosh); technical director Ollie Jeffrey (Royal Albert Hall) and producer Sophie Scotchford (Eurovision 2023).

Simon Reveley, head of Layered Reality Studio, said: “The Mill has a history of being pioneers, innovators and world class artists. We’re thrilled to work with them, utilising the latest in Artificial Intelligence to deliver more for our audiences. The integration of AI into The Mill’s arsenal of world class VFX tools, in the hands of their global network of award-winning artists, will help us deliver truly magical moments; the kind of moments that take your breath away.”

Mark Benson, president of The Mill, said: “We are very excited about the potential for our partnership with Layered Reality and helping to put Elvis back in the building. We are tasked with bringing Elvis back digitally by collecting and ingesting images and film archive clips to train AI models on Elvis’s face so we can recreate famous Elvis live performances. The Mill’s outstanding creative and tech talent will once again push the boundaries of what is possible, to deliver an extraordinary, authentic and thrilling theatrical event.”

Andrew McGuinness, founder and CEO of Layered Reality, commented: “Securing the best talent and partners is crucial for us to deliver outstanding immersive experiences. The Mill has an unrivaled pedigree in creating extraordinary digital effects spanning back to one of the earliest examples of icon replacement which won them a BAFTA for their work on Gladiator. They are at the forefront of utilising new technologies for creative innovative entertainment and we are delighted to have secured their partnership. Their support, and our talented new in-house team, means we are confident of delivering a superlative immersive experience for Elvis fans everywhere.”