Conn Iggulden says AI made Genghis Khan adaptation possible

Author Conn Iggulden says an AI production studio has made it possible to adapt his books about Genghis Khan for the screen. He told TechRadar that he does not believe the project would have been made without AI.

Iggulden said the books had previously been optioned, but production costs were prohibitive. He cited Mongolia’s location between China and Russia and its freezing temperatures near the Gobi desert as challenges. He said an option for the Emperor series remains active and is regularly renewed.

The project is being developed with Authors First, an AI studio. Iggulden described AI as another tool for creative work and said the studio aims to stay true to his books. He said he was moved by scenes showing the affection between Genghis and his brothers, reflecting the family story at the heart of his books.

He also described limits and adjustments during production. In one example, the AI-generated casting for a young woman was too beautiful for the gritty realism he wanted, requiring repeated changes. He said the team also encountered guardrails when trying to depict a historical detail about Genghis Khan’s birth. The source interview ends before explaining how that issue was handled.