93-year-old Michael Caine has announced he will narrate his own version of The Odyssey — launched via an AI company that has officially licensed and reproduced his voice.
This reproduction of Caine is AI company ElevenLabs’ first “cinematic multicast audiobook,” a press release for the project states, combining a reproduction of Caine’s British tones with “a full cast performance, original music and immersive sound design” — all of which sound like they’re being created using AI as well.
To be clear, this is nothing to do with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon and Tom Holland, which also arrives this year. Despite previously making regular appearances in Nolan’s films, Caine officially retired from acting three years ago, when he hit 90.
“The Odyssey is one of the greatest stories ever told,” Caine said in a statement. “By bridging classical storytelling with digital innovation, this epic is reimagined for modern audiences through ElevenReader. It was a pleasure to be a part of this retelling.”
ElevenLabs announced it snapped up the rights to Caine’s voice last year, entombing his vocal performances in a growing library of living and dead celebrities that also includes Judy Garland, David Hasselhoff, Albert Einstein, and Matthew McConaughey — the latter of whom has also invested an undisclosed amount in the company.
Last month, ElevenLabs announced its latest celebrity voice acquisition: the late Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee. In a statement, ElevenLabs said it now owned the commercial rights to Lee’s image and voice and intended to license them for further use by other companies, opening the door to a digitally-resurrected Lee appearing in films and commercials. Similar to The Odyssey, Stan Lee will also be heard narrating audio books, including a “Stan Lee Book Club of the Month.”
Michael Caine’s AI version of The Odyssey is available now. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey launches in theaters on July 19.
Image credit: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social