Reviving Legends: How AI Brought Ernest Shackleton Back to Life in 'Endurance'

Married filmmakers **Jimmy Chin** and **Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi** have carved out a cozy little niche in the world of documentaries—one where human resilience takes center stage against nature’s grand backdrop. With the indefatigable pace of churning out about a film a year, they're practically sprinting through the film industry. It’s a marathon of cinematic triumphs, if you will.

In their cinematic repertoire, they’ve tackled vertigo-inducing, record-breaking climbs in *Meru*, captured the breathtaking endeavor of scaling life's peaks in the Academy Award-winning *Free Solo*, chronicled the heart-stopping rescue of the junior soccer team stranded in Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave in *The Rescue*, and even inspired cheers and tears with the story of Diana Nyad’s extraordinary 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida in last year’s Oscar-nominated feature, *Nyad*. And let’s not forget Chin’s own rather audacious adventures, including his latest Everest summit where, plot twist, he stumbled upon something monumental. But of course, we'll save that juicy tidbit for another time.

Now, as if the universe had been waiting for the right moment, they present their latest doc, *Endurance*—co-directed with the talented **Natalie Hewit**. This one dives into the legendary **Ernest Shackleton** and his iconic 1914-1917 Trans-Antarctic expedition, which Vasarhelyi dives into with enthusiasm, dubbing it “the greatest survival story ever told.” Premiering on Nat Geo and hitting Hulu and Disney+ soon after, the film weaves together a tapestry of two remarkable tales: Shackleton’s harrowing 800-mile trek to rescue his 28 men stranded at the end of the world, and the 2022 discovery mission for their ship, the **Endurance**, which met its icy demise in the Weddell Sea, plunging to the seabed 3,000 meters below.

In an exclusive tête-à-tête with **The Hollywood Reporter**, Chin and Vasarhelyi shared their riveting journey of bringing back the Shackleton saga for a modern audience using not only stunning, century-old footage of the expedition but also Chin’s extensive exploration experience and fancy new AI technology. And let’s face it, when it comes to polar explorers, Shackleton has a grip on the English-speaking world unlike anyone else—if we had a dollar for every book, feature film, and leadership seminar inspired by him, we’d probably own our own iceberg by now.

You see, Shackleton achieved none of his expeditions’ primary goals, including crossing the Antarctic continent. So why is he still etched in our collective memory? Vasarhelyi muses, “It’s the audacity to dream big, coupled with the grit, determination, and sheer chutzpah needed to endure when things go sideways. He was an outsider, a Merchant Marine, not a card-carrying member of the Royal Navy, which made him all the more capable of rallying his team through their dire straits—and sometimes, his own audacity led him into hot water.”

Then there’s Chin, a real-life explorer himself. When asked about Shackleton's decision to turn back a mere 97 nautical miles from the South Pole during the *Nimrod* expedition, Chin thoughtfully reflects. “That reveals so much about his integrity. I once had a conversation with a friend from Special Operations who said, ‘Bringing the team home is the most important.’ There are some explorers whose ambition knows no bounds, but Shackleton’s choice showcased a vital perspective that speaks volumes about leadership. The goal isn’t simply to conquer; it’s about ensuring everyone makes it home alive.”

Chin’s had his share of close calls too, he admits, “Oh yes, many times. It’s the story of failure, really—a tale everyone can relate to. How you handle failure speaks so much more about your character than a hollow success.” And therein lies the crux of their current film—*Endurance* integrates the gripping narrative of the 2022 ship search into the historical tale, offering a fresh perspective. Vasarhelyi describes how they honed in on the narrative, “We were shooting *Nyad* when Nat Geo snagged the rights to the search footage. We thought, why not elevate this to a feature? Bring in a contemporary spin, but grounded in the authenticity of lived experience.”

On the tech frontier, the filmmakers also got a little frisky with AI tools, like Respeecher, to voice Shackleton’s words. Vasarhelyi insists, “There should definitely be guardrails around AI use in documentaries, but this opened a new avenue for recounting history. We’re just using Shackleton’s own words—his voice! It’s thrilling!”

In discussing the astonishing condition of the century-old footage from expedition photographer **Frank Hurley**, Vasarhelyi shared her excitement: “We were incredibly fortunate; the British Film Institute painstakingly preserved Hurley’s work, even colorizing it along with traditional sound design techniques. When you hear the ship’s timbers groaning under pressure or the dogs whimpering, it pulls the past closer to today.”

However, the original story leaves gaps—particularly post-water departure; that's where the modern reenactments come in. “After the team launched into the Southern Ocean, there was no footage, so we employed a recreation team for authenticity, even crafting Burberry outfits identical to the original expedition attire,” she explains.

And speaking of authenticity, when Nat Geo shared images of Chin’s recent Everest expedition just before the London premiere of *Endurance*, it was