Sassy Justice

Sassy Justice is a web series created by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Peter Serafinowicz that uses deepfake technology to insert unrelated celebrities and politicians into the fictional world of a television reporter.[1] The first episode was posted to YouTube on October 26, 2020.[2]

Production and development

The series was created by the newly-formed Deep Voodoo studio, made up of over twenty computer graphics artists.[3] The team was originally assembled for a film project that was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, who made the video based on a series of impressions that Serafinowicz developed of a "sassy" Donald Trump.[4] The first video, which featured deepfakes of Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg, went viral after airing on television and YouTube in 2020.[4] The creators have a handful of shorter videos alongside a 15-minute first episode that may be turned into an ongoing series, film, or other type of project.[4]

Sassy Justice started filming for a second show in Cheyenne, Wyoming between August 23rd and August 27th 2021.[5] Multiple filming locations were observed including locations in downtown, midtown, and north Cheyenne. A holiday special was released in December 2020.[6]

Premise

The series follows reporter Fred Sassy of Cheyenne, Wyoming (played by Peter Serafinowicz, whose face is superimposed with a deepfake of Donald Trump) who investigates the news itself, including the dangers posed by media manipulation and fake news.[7][1]

Reception and impact

Mark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing considers the first episode "terrific deepfake satire".[8]

In 2022, Parker and Stone received $20 million in funding for their deepfake studio Deep Voodoo based on this short.[9]

Celebrities deepfaked
  • Julie Andrews as Louise "Lou" Xiang, a computer technician; she is actually played by Sarah Alexander[4]
  • Michael Caine as a fictionalized version of himself (episode 1, actually Serafinowicz)
  • Al Gore as a fictionalized version of himself (episode 1, actually Parker)
  • Jared Kushner as a fictionalized version of himself (episode 1, actually Betty Boogie Parker)[4]
  • Donald Trump as a fictionalized version of himself (episode 1) and Fred Sassy, local investigative reporter; both are in reality Serafinowicz
  • Ivanka Trump as a fictionalized version of herself (episode 1, actually Parker)
  • Chris Wallace as a fictionalized version of himself (episode 1)[4]
  • Mark Zuckerberg as the Dialysis King of Cheyenne (actually Stone)[4]
  • Tom Cruise as a fictionalized version of himself (episode 1, actually Parker)

See also

References
  1. Skinner, Tom (October 27, 2020). "South Park Creators Launch New Deepfake Satire Series Sassy Justice". NME. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  2. Colburn, Randall (October 28, 2020). "South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone Deepfake Trump for New Web Series, Sassy Justice". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  3. Gemmill, Allie (2020-10-29). "Why the South Park Guys Made Surprise Deepfake Video Sassy Justice". Collider. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  4. Itzkoff, David (October 29, 2020). "The South Park Guys Break Down Their Viral Deepfake Video". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  5. "LOOK! The South Park Guys Are In Cheyenne Filming New Episodes of Sassy Justice".
  6. "Sassy Justice returns with a deepfaked Trump holiday special". The A.V. Club. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  7. "'Sassy Justice': 'South Park' creators' new show mines comedy gold from deepfakes". NME. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  8. Frauenfelder, Mark (October 26, 2020). "Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy: A Terrific Deepfake Satire Show". BoingBoing. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. Spangler, Todd (2022-12-20). "'South Park' Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone Land $20 Million in Funding for Their Deepfake VFX Studio". Variety. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
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