The Lord Of The Rings Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger In Every Role Is An AI Fever Dream

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a film icon whether he's playing a killer robot sent from the future or a dad fighting Christmas crowds at the mall. The man is a classic cinema staple, but that doesn't mean he's perfect for every role. And yet, it's precisely every role that he plays in a recent AI deepfake video series that went viral on Instagram.

The clips come to us via the Instagram account @samhughesvo, which belongs to voice actor Sam Hughes. The pair of videos (so far) are titled "The Schwarzeneggers of the Ring," and they depict the moment from the Council of Elrond scene in "The Fellowship of the Ring" where Gimli foolishly tries to destroy the One Ring with his battle axe.

The one catch? Everyone's faces are replaced with Schwarzenegger. That's right. Elrond, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli, Frodo — everyone has a visage that is eerily deepfaked to look like good ol' Arnie. As the camera flits from one individual to the next, every time someone speaks or is shown close up, their face is digitally plastered over by the bodybuilding terminator. Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and Men suddenly appear as the same powerful man with a chiseled jaw and thick-throated confidence. Is it disturbing? In every way. Is it hilarious? You bet your life it is.

The Schwarzenegger Middle-earth AI deepfake feels like nothing more than a fever dream that exists somewhere between high fantasy and classic sci-fi. The first clip begins with a close-up of Arnold-Elrond explaining in that deep Austrian brogue that the council has only one choice — to destroy the Ring. From there, we see a distressed Boromir Schwarzenegger before cutting to a long-haired Frodo looking every bit like a deeply concerned version of the Austrian Oak. Schwarzy-Gimli says, "Then what are we waiting for?" before bringing his axe down on the Ring. In the original film, Gimli actor John Rhys-Davies utters a deep growling roar as his axe explodes, sending him flying backward. In the voiceover Arnie version, the action is accompanied by a rolling, guttural sound that is trademark Schwarzenegger and arguably the funniest moment of the entire clip.

From there, we see a back-and-forth conversation, all in the Governator's iconic accent, that rolls right into the second installment of the video series as Elrond, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli debate about how the One Ring can't be destroyed by any craft that they possess, it was made in the fires of Mount Doom, yada yada. We even get a Boromir shot of the meme-worthy "One does not simply walk into Mordor" line — Schwarzenegger style.

The clip is extraordinary because the dramatics are still there, and the tension is still high. But the Schwarzenegger visuals and voiceovers are the deepfake equivalent of the ultimate photobomb. They give the entire thing the feel of an AI fever dream that you simultaneously don't want to watch and can't look away from.

The Schwarzenegger-in-Rivendell deepfake videos appear to have been a goof from voice actor Sam Hughes, who included the caption, "Had some quick fun with this deepfake," adding, "Yes, I know it isn't my best impression but I just wanted to share for the laughs."

In the second video, Hughes clarifies that all of the voices are by the voice actor himself. Along with the teamup between the human and computer content creators, Hughes explains that the deepfake visuals were executed by JarkanVfX, a popular creator of deepfake and AI entertainment.

Hughes himself is no stranger to voiceovers. The vocal creator has a lengthy track record in the video game world, including roles in games like "Conqueror's Blade" and "Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China." While he has a modest rapport amongst gamers, though, the ridiculous overlay of Mr. Schwarzenegger's well-known visage over one of the most iconic scenes in Middle-earth history may be his greatest claim to fame yet. The original Instagram post of "The Schwarzeneggers of the Ring" has received nearly 220,000 likes as of the time of this writing, and it's still climbing quickly. Hughes has also teased that a third installment of the series is in the works. 

While most conversations about AI revolve around either its potential or cautionary tales, the ability for computers and humans to collaborate to create disturbingly awesome deepfakes like this remains one of the fledgling technology's most entertaining uses to date.