Young Washington Director Admits Film Used AI for About 100 Shots

Young Washington, a historical drama about the youth of America's first president, opened in U.S. theaters on July 3, 2026, and director Jon Erwin immediately admitted to something that still stirs controversy in Hollywood. About one hundred shots in the film were enhanced or partially generated using artificial intelligence tools, with five AI specialists and a dedicated producer responsible solely for that part of the production.

Erwin used a combination of platforms aggregating AI tools, including Luma, Amazon's Project Nara, and Magnific, to expand the capabilities of a production shot on a limited budget. Rather than replacing actors or scenes, the director describes his approach as supplementing what was actually filmed with elements that would have been too costly or dangerous to shoot in practice.

How AI Was Used

The most striking example is a scene depicting a crossing of an icy river. In reality, the actors performed in a fifteen-meter pool built in Ireland, with props imitating ice, and the water was not cold at all. Only in postproduction did generative AI expand the frame, turning the controlled tank into a vast, treacherous frozen river landscape. A similar technique was used to expand small sets into sprawling, historically accurate locations and to generate establishing shots and scenes with cannon fire from rented cannons.

In one scene, two members of the production crew were transformed in postproduction into British soldiers on horseback. They were filmed in ordinary civilian clothes, and AI added period costumes, horses, and the appropriate historical backdrop. Erwin emphasizes that these techniques made the production safer and cheaper without sacrificing the visual scale that an independent production financed outside a major studio could otherwise never afford.

Do everything you can, really, everything that's possible, and then use these tools to amplify your vision and give yourself a bigger canvas - Jon Erwin, director of Young Washington

I've learned that these tools work best not when they replace the fundamental elements of filmmaking, but when they amplify and complement them - Jon Erwin, director of Young Washington

Controversy and Reactions

The disclosure of the scale of AI use drew criticism on social media and from reviewers. Some viewers argue that the battle scenes generated or enhanced by AI are noticeable and break immersion, which has affected the ratings - Young Washington has collected around 61 to 63 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Erwin defends himself, arguing that some critics confuse effects created through classic visual methods with those generated by AI, attributing more to the artificial intelligence tools than they actually account for on screen.

Angel Studios, the film's distributor, targets its offerings primarily at conservative and Christian audiences, and Young Washington is being promoted as a patriotic story about the early career of George Washington during the French and Indian War. Despite a more modest cast without major A-list stars, though featuring actors such as Mary-Louise Parker, Kelsey Grammer, Andy Serkis, and Ben Kingsley, forecasts predict around $20 million in opening weekend revenue, helped in part by strong advance ticket sales.

A Precedent for the Film Industry

The scale of generative AI use in Young Washington is described as one of the largest in a widely distributed theatrical film to date in U.S. cinemas. Industry observers note that if a major Hollywood studio reached for these tools on a similar scale, it would trigger a far sharper response from actors' and visual effects unions than it has for an independent Angel Studios production. The very fact that the director speaks openly about using AI, rather than hiding it, signals a shift in parts of the industry, from silence about generative tools to treating them as a standard part of the production toolkit.

For Polish audiences, the July 31 premiere will be a chance to judge for themselves how much the generated scenes actually differ from traditional special effects. The Young Washington case also shows that the discussion about AI in film is moving from abstract concerns about the future of the profession to concrete, publicly confirmed examples of these tools being used in a specific film now playing in theaters.

Sources: Young Washington Director Jon Erwin Breaks Down Film's Use of AI (variety.com), Young Washington Eyeing $20M Weekend, Used AI in Roughly 100 Shots (worldofreel.com), Young Washington's Controversial AI Use Explained by Director (comingsoon.net)