The first single from The Rolling Stones' new album Foreign Tongues sees the band reunite with François Rousselet for the spectacular video starring American actress Odessa A’Zion, where over a hundred real musicians join The Stones - de-aged to their early-70s prime - in the ultimate recording session.

First and foremost, this is a brilliant achievement by Rousselet who has directed two previous videos for The Stones - Ride 'Em On Down and Angry - and has arguably outdone both of them here for In The Stars, by going to the place where the legendary band are at their very best, in performance - and then taking it to the next level. The result is a euphoric experience, as the video helps make the case that this is one of The Stones' best new songs in years. 

That 'next level' has clearly involved AI, as an extraordinary array of musicians surround young versions of Mick, Keith, and Ronnie, while Odessa A’Zion provides the viewer's perspective, moving through the crowd, guiding through the fever-pitch atmosphere. And the fact is, if you did not happen to know that the actual Stones are rather older - okay, a lot older - you would be entirely forgiven for thinking their avatars are the real thing. 

The deep-fakery on the Stones is the work of Deep Voodoo, the AI company with a very Stones-adjacent name, who must be close to being best in class for this type of thing. The young 'Mick', in particular, is very successfully achieved - and their work is all the more effective with its sparing use, integrated into a much bigger canvas.

As François Rousselet explains, he was entirely focussed on the proper live action - including having stand-ins for the band on the shoot with physical similarities to the band members.

"One of the challenges for this production was not simply casting the sheer volume of talent required - over 100 musicians and dancers in the space of a week - but ensuring every performer could convincingly inhabit the world of the band. Each musician had to quickly learn and perform the track in a way that felt authentic on camera," he says.

"The key was finding leads for the band who could truly sell the physicality of the performance. That human element was critical. Without it, the de-aging wouldn’t feel believable or emotionally real. I didn’t want the shoot to feel constrained by the post/VFX requirements. It was important to me that the performers and camera could move naturally, the same way you would when filming a real band performance. That freedom and unpredictability is what gives the video its energy and authenticity.

"To direct a third video for The Rolling Stones as someone who grew up as a true fan is an incredible privilege. Their music has shaped generations, including mine, and being trusted again to help bring their vision to the screen is something I’ll never take for granted.”