Grimes joins the cast of Gods Don’t Give Gifts, a science-fiction horror anthology created by Zack London under his Gossip Goblin banner. The film is being billed as the first AI-generated feature to receive a theatrical release, arriving in cinemas December 4, 2026.
New stills, a poster and a clip featuring Grimes have been released ahead of the film’s debut. She voices Zayinth Alda, a disillusioned aristocrat from the powerful NiiroCore family. Her character is the niece of Caen Halvorith, inventor of the Substrate Migration Protocol, and visits a dreamspool dealer in the slums of East Cinder.
Her dialogue is performed by Grimes herself rather than generated by AI. The filmmakers see this approach as part of a developing model for animated productions, allowing performers to contribute their voices while their likenesses appear on screen.
Gods Don’t Give Gifts
- Director: Zack London
- Starring: Mark Lewis, Mike Majlak, Sam Dale, Sam Dale, Ben Kersley, Ben Kersley, Oscar Merry, Ayça Özkan
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Runtime: 104 mins
A Future Where Death Is No Longer Final
Set in the Second Cycle of Humanity, Gods Don’t Give Gifts imagines a future transformed by advanced technology and transhumanism. Consciousness can be transferred between bodies, memories can be bought and sold, and death has lost much of its finality.
The anthology brings together four connected stories, framed by an ancient, all-knowing artificial intelligence and linked by a street preacher who protests against technology erasing what makes us human.
Each story follows a different character navigating this strange new world: a scientist obsessed with humanity’s next evolutionary step, an android searching for one warm memory, a fighter trapped in a rigged game, and a disillusioned aristocrat desperate to experience genuine wonder one last time.
The result is a science-fiction world with elements of horror, dark humour and philosophical exploration, examining what happens to familiar human desires when the physical limits of existence begin to disappear.
Zack London and the Gossip Goblin Universe
Written and directed by Zack London, with Jacob Batchelor co-writing, Gods Don’t Give Gifts expands the science-fiction universe London has developed through Gossip Goblin.
The project spans thirteen cycles of humanity and combines science fiction, body horror, dark comedy and philosophical questions about the relationship between technology and human nature. Gossip Goblin has reportedly accumulated nearly one billion views on YouTube.
London has also been recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as part of its AI 25, a group of influential people shaping the future of Hollywood.
Speaking about the film’s central ideas, London explains:
“The core of ‘Gods Don’t Give Gifts’ is really about what happens to ordinary human hungers and instincts when the physical limits around humanity starts to disappear.”
He describes the four stories as explorations of people using extraordinary technologies to satisfy very familiar needs. Rather than depicting a world destroyed by a technological catastrophe, the film presents a society where its systems continue to function and people generally prosper, even as humanity itself begins to change.
London also emphasizes that the film is not simply a warning against technological progress:
“The point is not to say that technology is bad. The point is to take a premise seriously, follow its emotional consequences, and let the results be strange, funny, grotesque, and sad.”
Edward Saatchi Produces
The film is co-produced by Edward Saatchi, entrepreneur and member of the founding team behind Oculus Story Studio, the virtual-reality filmmaking division of Oculus VR.
Saatchi is also associated with Fable, a company developing AI-driven entertainment. His earlier work in animation includes the Emmy-winning short Henry, starring Elijah Wood; Dear Angelica, featuring Geena Davis and Mae Whitman; and Wolves in the Walls, featuring Jeffrey Wright, Noah Schnapp and Isabella Rossellini.
Fable is backing Gods Don’t Give Gifts as co-producer. Saatchi praised London’s approach, describing the film as a fully realized story rather than simply a showcase for new technology. He highlighted its exploration of desire, time and the choices people make.
Gods Don’t Give Gifts – Film Details
- Release Date: December 4, 2026
- Director: Zack London
- Writers: Zack London and Jacob Batchelor
- Starring: Grimes as Zayinth Alda
- Runtime: 107 minutes
- Rating: R
- Genres: Science Fiction, Horror
- Production: Gossip Goblin, with Fable as co-producer
Official Website: godsdontgivegifts.com
Gossip Goblin: link.me/gossipgoblin
A Different Kind of AI Movie
With its blend of science fiction, horror and dark humour, Gods Don’t Give Gifts takes an unconventional approach to independent filmmaking.
Its four stories explore a future where technology can reshape bodies, memories and even death, while the desires driving humanity remain surprisingly familiar.
Gods Don’t Give Gifts arrives in theatres December 4, 2026.
