Christopher Lee, 54, to star in AI-hybrid drama inspired by Eighteen Chefs' founder

Singaporean actor Christopher Lee, 54, will star in Crooks, Singapore's first AI-hybrid drama, which has begun production, according to The Straits Times (ST).

The nine-episode series uses AI-assisted technology in post-production to build environments that cannot be constructed physically. This includes background creation, virtual set design, relighting, and spatial expansion.

According to Zaobao, the production leaned more heavily on AI after some investors pulled out, leading to a reduction of 40 per cent in funding.

This would be the catalyst in turning the production into an AI-hybrid.

ST reported that actors first perform on live-action sets, where their expressions, timing, and emotional intent are captured before AI workflows are applied.

Inspired by a real story

Crooks is inspired by the life of Benny Se Teo, a Singaporean ex-convict who founded restaurant Eighteen Chefs in 2007 to give troubled youths and ex-offenders a second chance at reintegration into society.

Lee plays Ah Cheng, a former convict who takes over a struggling restaurant and attempts to piece his life back together through cooking.

According to ST, Lee said of the movie:

"Crooks is a story about second chances, but also about how difficult it is to accept one when you do not feel you deserve it."

Lee told Zaobao that while he is not averse to working with AI, he has set clear boundaries on what he would not do. This includes not letting AI use his likeness to act for him, stating that actors must have their own ideas and interpretations of the scene.

"AI cannot replace the tremble in an actor's voice"

The series is produced by local filmmaker Boi Kwong, founder of Singapore-based film production company B-01 Films.

He said in a statement, reported by ST:

"AI cannot replace the tremble in an actor's voice, the silence between two people, or the truth of a performance. What it can do is give Singapore film-makers more room to build the world around those moments."

He added:

"The technology is there to support the story, not to take over it. It allows us to imagine with greater scale while keeping the emotion close."

According to ST, the production is also reskilling more than 50 crew members across production, technical, and editing roles to work in AI-enabled environments.