{"id":654217,"date":"2026-06-23T15:39:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/654217\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T15:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T15:39:08","slug":"youre-only-supposed-to-blow-the-bloody-hooves-off-ai-michael-caine-narrates-odyssey-audiobook-michael-caine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/654217\/","title":{"rendered":"You\u2019re only supposed to blow the bloody hooves off: AI Michael Caine narrates Odyssey audiobook | Michael Caine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Next month, Christopher Nolan\u2019s blockbuster version of The Odyssey<\/a> is set to storm cinemas around the globe. Auguries suggest the almost three-hour drama will repeat the success of Nolan\u2019s previous film both at the box office (Oppenheimer took nearly a billion dollars) and the Academy Awards (it won seven Oscars).<\/p>\n

But before that, a new audiobook version of Homer\u2019s tale has been released starring one of Nolan\u2019s most frequent collaborators: Michael Caine<\/a>, with whom he has worked on eight films, including the Dark Knight trilogy.<\/p>\n

Michael Caine in Christopher Nolan\u2019s 2006 film The Prestige. Photograph: Warner Bros\/Sportsphoto\/Allstar<\/p>\n

Caine, now 93, announced his retirement at the Red Sea film festival in Saudi Arabia last December. It was the fourth time he has done so<\/a>, and seems as unlikely to be binding as the previous three times, particularly thanks to a deal the actor struck shortly beforehand to license an AI version of his voice.<\/p>\n

In November 2025, Caine and Matthew McConaughey became the highest-profile stars to sign on<\/a> with ElevenLabs, the $11bn AI audio generation and voice cloning company that enables brands, studios and creators to rent celebrity voices from its Iconic Voice Marketplace.<\/p>\n

Such tools mean even death will not wither A-listers\u2019 abilities to appear in new adverts, films or on GPS devices, as the licensing can continue \u2013 pending estate approval \u2013 for eternity.<\/p>\n

Although many people in the film and TV industry are sceptical about the rise of AI \u2013 as personified by the entirely fabricated star Tilly Norwood<\/a> \u2013 some actors have gone even further than Caine and McConaughey by allowing their likenesses to be used as well as their voices. Bruce Willis retired from acting in 2022<\/a> before a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, but his \u201cdigital twin\u201d<\/a> appeared in a Russian telecommunications advert<\/a> in 2022. More recently, the children and estate of the late actor Val Kilmer approved an AI version of his voice and likeness which will shortly be seen in new western As Deep as the Grave.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Caine\u2019s voice is one of the most instantly recognisable and oft-mimicked in British cinema history. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon\u2019s Caine-off, in which they compete to give the finer impression \u2013 and explain why either the nasal or throaty approach is correct \u2013 is often reckoned to be the highlight of Michael Winterbottom\u2019s series The Trip. The pair were then upstaged by the man himself at the Royal Albert Hall<\/a> in 2014.<\/p>\n

The 13-hour Odyssey audiobook is ElevenLabs\u2019 inaugural in-house production and billed as \u201cthe company\u2019s first cinematic multicast audiobook, combining Sir Michael Caine\u2019s\u2122 official AI voice replica, a full cast performance, original music and immersive sound design\u201d.<\/p>\n

While Nolan\u2019s screenplay draws on Emily Wilson\u2019s revisionist 2017 translation<\/a> for inspiration, ElevenLabs used the text translated by William Cullen Bryant in the 1870s. No academics were involved, they confirmed, but ensuring the correct pronunciation of characters\u2019 names was \u201ca painstaking process\u201d.<\/p>\n

Nolan\u2019s The Odyssey. Photograph: Melinda Sue Gordon\/Universal Pictures<\/p>\n

In a statement, Caine described the poem as \u201cone 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy bridging classical storytelling with digital innovation, this timeless epic is reimagined for modern audiences, brought vividly to life through ElevenReader\u2019s cutting-edge technology. It was a pleasure to be a part of ElevenProductions\u2019 retelling of The Odyssey<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caine\u2019s involvement was mostly confined to his consultancy last year, perfecting iterations of his AI voice. Dustin Blank, who leads partnerships at ElevenLabs, applauded the actor\u2019s foresight in signing the deal with the company. \u201cBravo to him for recognising this is where technology is going,\u201d Blank told the Guardian. \u201cHe\u2019s a leader in this space because he\u2019s been a part of crafting the first steps and his own legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other voice artists featured in the audiobook are uncredited, and only learned of their involvement in the project after its completion, when they were remunerated according to the number of letters of the alphabet their voice spoke. So far, some 22 million people have been paid in this way. Members of the company\u2019s Iconic range, however, have power of veto over the projects their voices appear in.<\/p>\n

Supporting cast members were \u201cauditioned\u201d from the library, says Blank. For Athena, for instance, the producers were looking for a voice that was \u201cwise, but subtly emotive\u201d. Once one had been identified, \u201cwe could really hear that person. And they made the words come alive on the page\u201d.<\/p>\n

Caine and Candice Bergen in Greek-set 1968 film The Magus. Photograph: Allstar<\/p>\n

In the opening chapter \u2013 which is available to listen to for free \u2013 Caine narrates in strikingly lifelike if remarkably uniform tones: calm, respectful and respectable. His intonation is more homogenous than might perhaps have come with a traditional performance, and more even than that of some of the other voices used (in particular a fruity Zeus).<\/p>\n

Blank points to the vernacular origins of the epic poem \u2013 originally written down around 725\u2013675BC \u2013 as offering further validation for their decision to produce a new version using code-prompting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis story has been around for thousands of years,\u201d he says. \u201cIt has already travelled through all different types of technology and retelling. So we view this as a continuation of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production took four producers six weeks, which ElevenLabs says represents a considerable acceleration of the traditional \u201cmonths of casting, recording, sound design, and post-production\u201d.<\/p>\n

Those criticising the company for minimising creative roles and imperilling jobs are missing the point. \u201cHuman ingenuity is creating these prompts and putting the pieces together,\u201d Blank says, \u201cand we\u2019re hiring new types of jobs to support this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cIt will also allow for more things to go into production and more money to go into this space. The goal is, with this type of technology being in the hands of more people, that there will be more product out there and more opportunity for people to get through the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caine with his grandchildren and Vin Diesel at the Red Sea film festival, 4 December 2025. Photograph: Balkis Press\/ABACA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Future projects are still in discussion, with further audiobook versions of canonical texts released before landmark new movies \u2013 such as the forthcoming Dune 3 and Netflix\u2019s Pride & Prejudice \u2013 likely to provide a model. \u201cWe\u2019ve toyed around with some of those and we\u2019re thinking about who we would want to cast in them,\u201d said Blank.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to be something that pushes the ball forward, not AI for AI\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blank also said the company would be open to collaborating with big-name directors who would take control of the decision-making and mix, as well as productions with unconventional casting, such as gender-flipped versions of classics: \u201cI love that idea \u2013 and we should.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caine is a six-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner, whose roles in films including Alfie, Get Carter, Zulu, The Man Who Would Be King, Sleuth, Educating Rita, Hannah and Her Sister, Miss Congeniality, The Cider House Rules, Youth and A Muppet Christmas Carol have made him one of one of the world\u2019s best-loved \u2013 and most prolific \u2013 stars.<\/p>\n

A veteran of more than 150 movies, he has long been frank about prizing commercial pragmatism over creative fulfilment. Of his involvement in the critically panned Jaws: The Revenge (1987), for which he received $1m for a fortnight\u2019s work, he famously said: \u201cI have never seen the film, but by all accounts it is terrible. However I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caine first retired in 2009, after gang crime drama Harry Brown, then again, 24 films later, in 2021, after starring as a novelist in Best Sellers. He returned for the little seen Czech historical drama Medieval in 2022, and the following year starred in The Great Escaper<\/a> as a D-day veteran who travels to Normandy solo from his care home for the 70th anniversary, for which he won rave reviews.<\/p>\n

Although Caine told Radio 4 that would be his last film, he suggested to the Guardian<\/a> he would shortly shoot a biopic of Charles Darwin. \u201cAnd that\u2019ll be it. I won\u2019t do another one after.\u201d When questioned whether he was certain, Caine said: \u201cNo! But the point is, can you do it? Can you remember all the lines? I\u2019ve got used to not working and staying in bed till 11am and staying out late at night. I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Isabella Webber and Michael Caine recording his voiceover for Bobby at his flat in London in autumn 2025. Photograph: Courtesy of Isabella Webber<\/p>\n

Anthony Hopkins has since been announced as the star of the Darwin film, which is currently in production, while Caine\u2019s mooted return as a priest in The Last Witch Hunter 2, aiding Vin Diesel\u2019s immortal warrior, also seems unlikely to materialise.<\/p>\n

While Caine provided narration for the audio versions of his 2010 and 2018 memoirs, Eddie Marsden took over for 2024\u2019s Don\u2019t Look Back, You\u2019ll Trip Over: My Guide to Life, as well as for the audio version of Caine\u2019s first novel, a thriller called Deadly Game, in 2023.<\/p>\n

However, Caine did lend non-AI vocals to a short film, Bobby, which is likely to premiere this autumn. The writer-director of that film, Isabella Webber, told the Guardian that Caine recorded narration with her in his London flat the month before he signed the ElevenLabs deal.<\/p>\n

Caine reads aloud a poem written especially for the film, which is based on the story of a man moved to paddle in his own canoe to Dunkirk in an attempt to help rescue troops.<\/p>\n

Webber said that she decided to ask Caine having heard him speak about his own father\u2019s experiences of Dunkirk on a podcast. After connecting with Caine\u2019s wife, Shakira, Webber was told that Caine was keen, but due to his age and health, they couldn\u2019t pin down a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the script and a microphone in my bag and just didn\u2019t leave Chelsea Harbour [where Caine lives] for about three weeks,\u201d said Webber. \u201cThen one day I got a phone call and went to his flat.\u201d After a spell sitting on his sofa watching Sky Sports, Webber showed him the script. \u201cAnd the minute I got it in front of him, he just lit up. We spent a good hour together while he read the poem. He\u2019d read a line and then ask my opinion, and I was like: \u2018I don\u2019t need to be directing you, Michael!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Allowing the actor free rein paid dividends, says Webber. \u201cHe gave me so many different versions and tones. The inflection and pacing of a performance can convey so many different things. When actors do stuff that you weren\u2019t expecting, and in a way that you weren\u2019t expecting, it elevates the script to another league. It isn\u2019t just a voice; it\u2019s a lifetime of experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In between takes, Caine would recount stories his father had told him about the war, which ended up shaping some of the rest of the film\u2019s narrative. Webber hopes it will become a full-length feature.<\/p>\n

The trailer features a snippet of Caine\u2019s voiceover: slow, gravelly, imperfect and immensely characterful. \u201cThe humanity and the happy accidents give you things you\u2019d never be able to predict,\u201d says Webber. \u201cWhereas the thing with AI is that everything\u2019s predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Next month, Christopher Nolan\u2019s blockbuster version of The Odyssey is set to storm cinemas around the globe. Auguries…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,733,4308,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-654217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}