The highly anticipated trailer for Empire of the Exalted has just been unveiled, introducing one of the most ambitious projects at the intersection of literature, audiovisual production, and artificial intelligence.
Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Fabrice Sarlat, Empire of the Exalted is envisioned as a large-scale series for television and streaming platforms. The saga unfolds in the 20th millennium, where humanity—traumatized by past wars against AI-human hybrids known as the Exalted—struggles to maintain a fragile interstellar federation. Rival Houses, secret orders, and inquisitorial powers collide in a political and mystical epic blending science fiction, power struggles, and metaphysical questions.
The trailer offers a first glimpse into this universe: epic space battles, tense political confrontations, and dreamlike sequences from the Immatérium. What makes the project even more remarkable is its visual approach: a hybrid format, combining performances by real actors with environments designed through AI-generated imagery. This choice places Empire of the Exalted at the forefront of a new wave of audiovisual storytelling, where technology not only supports but actively shapes narrative worlds.
Fabrice Sarlat, a digital technology engineer and writer, has spent years constructing this vast fictional universe. His ambition is clear: to use speculative fiction as a mirror for our own societies, exploring themes of
Transhumanism, identity, political corruption, and humanity’s temptation to repeat its greatest mistakes.
Fabrice Sarlat, you’re the author of the successful saga « Empire of the Exalted ». This science-fiction novel taking place in thousands of years seems more realistic than ever! Is it distopian or your true vision of the possible future of humanity?
I spent nearly seven years imagining and building the world for the saga. I wanted to create a realistic and consistent background for humanity in a far future. This was ambitious and all the questions I had to think about were legions. First, you have to consider the place of human beings in such a future? Are we still human ? Augmented ? Alone in the universe ? Did we colonize other planets? How are we organized ? Are there still civilisations ? I could carry on with a never ending list of topics. This is what is great with science-fiction : you have an open field to unleash your imagination and obviously to project our actual civilization in the future. To me, this was a great opportunity to question our true nature and get my readers to investigate several fields : is humanity capable of change ? Does technology free or enslave us ? What is the “real” progress ? This sounds nearly philosophical but I strongly believe that science-fiction, beyond dark or epic stories, is meant to achieve this. To answer your question, what I tried to build is both dystopian and a possible future. This is a story of human ambition, this perpetual search for a form of immortality at any cost, thanks to technology or any other means. A quest for understanding the essence of our nature. Once that is said, I also wanted to create a universe and characters to tell an epic story where the reader would travel, escape and have fun. Isn’t it what reading is made for ? Learn and enjoy.
You’ve won awards and many nominations with that trailer. What’s the next step ？
First, I would like to thank the fantastic work that has been done by Shaike (J. Angelier & his team). It has been a fantastic and stressful adventure for me. Can you imagine ? You spend years creating a world, characters and story, and, one day, this will be translated to a trailer for a series. We wanted to be as close as possible to the novels and created a consistent artistic vision. The result is, indeed, an interpretation of what is in the books. Reading is all about creating its own experience in your mind. Here, the challenge was to propose another experience but in the spirit of the books. When we received the nominations and awards, we all had the feeling that we succeeded. This was great recognition for the Shaike team and also for me, as an author. Next step is now to give life to a series based on the saga. This is what we are actively working on.
The main subject of your novel being AI, it seems logical to think about creating the adaptation of it for TV/cinema with this AI filmmaking technology, right?
Technology in general, and AI specifically, is having an important place in my universe. Empire of the Exalted is a space opera, not a hard SF novel. This means that technology is one element of the universe but is not the heart of everything. I prefer to think and write about the use and the impact of technology in our lives. As AI has opened a door for humanity in my story, it sounded consistent to use it to create the trailer. Enjoy it or not, AI is already part of our lives. It was a nice wink to create this trailer with AI to emphasize the hidden messages of the saga.
A little exclusive news on the upcoming release of the next book?
Oh … (laugh). Ok. The writing of the third opus is nearly completed. The book would probably be available before Christmas. In this volume, new characters will appear and unexpected events will happen (but my readers know that this is my signature 🙂 ). Be ready for lots of action, some answers to your questions and a surprising reveal. Where is the Truth ? Who is good or evil ? Will the Sleeper wake up ?
With this exclusive trailer release, Empire of the Exalted establishes itself as a groundbreaking project—one that could redefine the way we imagine, produce, and experience serial storytelling.
👉 The question that now arises is both artistic and societal:
Are we ready for an AI-made series?