ElevenLabs has put out a nearly 13-hour audiobook of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” and the narrator is Michael Caine, or rather an AI recreation of his voice. The AI audio company released it through its ElevenReader app, just ahead of Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation.
Making a screen version of Homer’s epic takes a Hollywood budget. ElevenLabs went another way. The production combines AI-generated voices with sound design and music built using the company’s own tools.
“Our version of it is another retelling of it that we think is really strong; it does justice,” said Dustin Blank, ElevenLabs’ Head of Partnerships. “It has a cast of 20 characters, all from our voice library, and Michael Caine is a legend. He is a national treasure, and his voice means so much to so many people.”
How Caine came in
Caine licensed his voice and likeness last year to ElevenLabs’ Iconic Marketplace, a platform where companies can commercially license well-known voices. Blank says the company’s approach rests on getting permission and making sure creators are paid whenever their voices are used.
ElevenLabs says it consulted Caine about the audiobook and that he approved the marketing materials. Whether he has listened to the finished product has not been confirmed.
Caine said of the story: “The Odyssey is one of the greatest stories ever told. For nearly three millennia, its themes of perseverance, loyalty, temptation, and the enduring call of home have resonated across cultures and generations.” He added that it was a pleasure to be part of ElevenProductions’ retelling.
Four producers, six weeks
The team was small. Madeline Shue of ElevenLabs’ publisher partnerships team says four producers handled the whole job in six weeks, including multilingual audio versions, music and sound design. “Previously not possible to do that type of work with a small team and a short timeline,” she said.
It is not the company’s first tie-in. Last year it used a recreation of Judy Garland’s voice to narrate “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” alongside the release of “Wicked: For Good.”
ElevenLabs wants more of this, with creators building projects from licensed voices and characters on its marketplace. Stan Lee, Judy Garland and characters from Hasbro’s catalogue are among the names floated. Blank says the company has no interest in AI for its own sake. “We’re not going to do AI just to do AI,” he said. “We’re going to set the bar high.”
