Brian Grazer Confirms AI in Post Production on Netflix's Churchill at War

Brian Grazer did not hide it. The Imagine Entertainment co-founder confirmed that AI generated Winston Churchill's voice throughout "Churchill at War", the four part Netflix docuseries he produced with Ron Howard. Grazer made the disclosure publicly, at a moment when most of Hollywood stays quiet about AI in production.

The Project

"Churchill at War" premiered on Netflix in December 2024. Director Malcolm Venville built the series around Churchill's wartime speeches, hundreds of which had existed only on paper and had never been recorded. Imagine Documentaries used AI to generate Churchill's voice from those unrecorded texts, making it possible to present primary source material that no archive could provide.

The series also incorporated digitally colorized and restored historical footage alongside the synthesized audio.

Grazer's Position

Grazer has been candid about AI's limits as much as its uses. "No one can point to where AI could produce soul, or life essence, or the best entertainment storytelling", he told The Ankler. That position separates his use of AI in post production from any replacement logic. The tool filled a gap the historical record left behind. It did not substitute for a living performer.

Imagine and Obsidian

Imagine Entertainment formalized its AI investment in November 2025, announcing a partnership with Obsidian Studio, an AI production company. The deal positions Imagine to integrate AI tools across development and post production at scale, not on a project by project basis.

Grazer has acknowledged using ChatGPT in his own development process. His partner Ron Howard has spoken publicly about AI tools as expanding what filmmakers can achieve rather than replacing human decision making. The Obsidian partnership signals that informal individual use is now becoming a structured company strategy at Imagine.

The Transparency Question

Hollywood's standard approach to AI involvement is to stay silent. A pattern documented across multiple productions, from "Secret Invasion" to "The Brutalist" to "Emilia Pérez", shows studios typically acknowledge AI use only after journalists ask directly, if at all. Grazer's willingness to name the tool and describe how it worked on a specific project is an exception to Hollywood's default of staying quiet about AI usage.

The context matters. AI generated voice for a historical figure who died in 1965 does not trigger the same guild objections as AI that replaces a living performer. Grazer chose a use case where disclosure carried no guild risk. But the openness itself sets a different standard than the industry norm.

The Broader Pattern

Hollywood insiders calling for a proactive AI strategy have argued that producers, not directors or performers, will drive how AI gets integrated into mainstream production. Grazer's "Churchill at War" decision supports that argument. The producer chose the use case, chose the tool, and made the call to disclose it.

The DGA opens formal contract talks with AMPTP on May 11, with mandatory AI disclosure among the union's stated demands. If the DGA secures that requirement, decisions like Grazer's will shift from exceptions to obligations. For filmmakers building AI into their own work outside the studio system, AI FILMS Studio provides video generation tools without the production company infrastructure.

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Sources

The Wrap | Variety | The Hollywood Reporter | The Ankler