EXCLUSIVE: Aileen Wuornos was widely considered one of America’s first female serial killers and was brought to life by Charlize Theron in the 2003 film Monster that won her an Oscar.
Investigation Discovery (ID) is now bringing Wuornos to life in a completely different way in a series that uses AI technology in a way rarely used before in documentary storytelling.
The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable network has greenlit three-part true-crime docuseries Unmasking A Monster: Aileen Wuornos that uses “groundbreaking” digital replication and VFX techniques to capture Wuornos, who died in 2002.
Wuornos, who worked as a prostitute, murdered seven men across Central Florida in 1989 and 1990, whom she claimed had either raped or attempted to rape her.
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The series is produced by Fremantle-owned production company Arrow Media, which previously produced Aileen Wuornos: Mind of a Monster for the network.
The company worked with VFX artists to create a visual likeness of Wuornos, based on archival photos and video footage. Actor Morag Peacock portrayed Wuornos and the team spent three years conducting extensive filming to provide the visual effects technology with the information needed to render the digital likeness.
“When we took on the process of trying to do replication of Aileen, we built a model, using real archival video, real photos that captured her from every angle. That model acts as a three-dimensional mask that, with the help of AI, we can layer on top of our actress’ performance,” said Kyran Speirs, head of post-production at Arrow Media.
The technology created a virtual “layer” of Wuornos, which was then put over Peacock’s voice, movements, and interpretation. Peacock said it was like “putting on a costume”. “It’s almost as if she’s been brought back to life,” she added.
The producers were keen to ensure that all individuals whose likenesses were digitally replicated were informed and consented and they informed the families of the remaining victims and other individuals connected to the story.
Unmasking A Monster: Aileen Wuornos marks one of the first documentary projects to apply this technology in this way. It also combined first-person accounts from Wuornos, those close to her, and the investigators who worked the case with accounts previously available only in verified transcripts, documented evidence, and chronicled first-hand testimony.
Wuornos was arrested in January 1991 in Volusia County, Florida; in 1992, she was convicted of the murder of Richard Mallory and over the course of the year pleaded no contest to the murders of five other men and received six death sentences. She was executed in October 2002 by lethal injection.
The series premieres on September 30 from 8-11PM ET/PT.
“Documentary storytelling has always evolved alongside advances in filmmaking, and by applying cutting-edge technology to the true crime genre we are deepening audiences’ understanding of real events in completely new ways,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of ID. “For Unmasking A Monster: Aileen Wuornos, we collaborated closely with law enforcement, members of Aileen’s inner circle, a talented cast of actors, and a team of innovative VFX artists to recreate pivotal moments from the case. Every scene was meticulously informed by legal transcripts and firsthand testimony, giving audiences a powerful new way to experience this story.”
