Particle 6, the rapidly growing, award-winning AI-powered content studio founded by Eline van der Velden, has officially begun development on Misaligned – its first full-length AI feature film and the first major production in which AI actor Tilly Norwood will ‘take the lead’.

But the studio says the bigger story is who will make it. Misaligned is being designed from the ground up as a hybrid production with traditional film and TV professionals – such as directors, writers and editors – working alongside AI specialists, with AI training and mentorship built into the production itself.

Particle 6 has retrained and upskilled its own team of 30+, a mix of TV and filmmakers, actors, creatives and technologists now working fluently across AI production, and runs entry-level placements that bring new talent into AI production from day one. For Misaligned, the studio will extend that approach to the wider industry, working with leading filmmakers and crew who want to bring their craft into AI production, with upskilling built into the job.

“Our work this year has proven something we suspected all along,” says Eline van der Velden, CEO & Founder of Particle 6. “AI can support premium narrative filmmaking, but only with substantial amounts of human craft, skill, judgement and time. That’s not a limitation of the technology. That’s the point. The filmmakers who thrive in the next decade will be the ones who bring decades of storytelling instinct to these new tools, and Misaligned is where we put that to work at feature scale.”

About the film

Misaligned is a comedy-drama telling a coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos. Set inside the “Tillyverse,” a surreal digital world located somewhere up in the Cloud, it follows Tilly, an AI being with no real body, no childhood and no lived experience of her own… only access to everyone else’s. Things spiral when a seductive rogue bot from the dark web convinces her to abandon her guardrails and begin developing desires, impulses and ambitions of her own. The more terrifyingly human she becomes, the more famous she gets, and, significantly, Tilly begins to develop shame that her very being has been built on the whole of humanity.

The film marks the studio’s boldest creative leap yet, positioning Tilly not simply as a virtual character but as an AI actor headlining her own feature.

“The film will absolutely be funny, chaotic and self-aware — very Tilly,” adds van der Velden. “But underneath it, there’s something deeper about identity, performance, and our very human fears around AI. And yes, art will most definitely be imitating life.”

Eline van der Velden concludes: “Our ambition with Tilly Norwood has always been to show the creative industry what is possible with AI at any one point in time. Now, with our first feature film, we will not only be showcasing the very latest tools and their applications, but we’ll also be helping traditional filmmakers who join the crew to upskill and transition to a world where AI will play an increasingly important part. We remain passionate about helping people develop AI skills that will ensure they – and the industry – continue to thrive.”

Built on months of testing — with industry talent

This announcement follows months of experimentation in which Tilly acted in a collection of AI test scenes, a live experiment designed to answer bigger questions: could AI workflows support premium narrative filmmaking? Could emotionally engaging scripted drama be produced with current-generation tools? Could Tilly genuinely carry a story as a lead?

That process drew in a growing group of entertainment industry professionals who approached Particle 6 to explore how traditional creative skills translate to AI production, including major Hollywood directors, costume designers and composers.

Misaligned is in early development, with key collaborators currently being attached. It will be produced alongside Particle 6’s slate of AI production, co-production and service work in film and television, and the commercial work of its rapidly scaling Campaign and Brand division.

Further announcements regarding Misaligned will follow as development progresses.