Lionsgate Explores AI for Content Adaptation and Production Efficiency

Summary

• Lionsgate is leveraging AI through a partnership with Runway to adapt existing film content and enhance production efficiency
• The studio aims to use AI to adjust film ratings, convert live-action movies to animation, and create complex visual effects at a fraction of the traditional cost

Lionsgate is actively exploring artificial intelligence, specifically through a partnership with AI startup Runway, to adapt existing content and streamline production, a move that could reshape how films are created and distributed. The studio inked a deal with AI startup Runway last September, marking Runway’s first pact with a Hollywood studio.

Michael Burns, Lionsgate’s vice chairman, revealed to New York Magazine that the studio is experimenting with various AI applications. One significant potential use involves repackaging the studio’s extensive library, allowing for adjustments in tone, format, and even rating. This could enable the creation of softer, kid-friendly cuts or even convert live-action films into animated versions. Burns stated that a live-action film could be transformed into a PG-13 anime version in just three hours. Burns notes that with the help of AI, the filmmaker can take their signature action franchises like John Wick and the Hunger Games and “Now we can say, ‘Do it in anime, make it PG-13.’ Three hours later, I’ll have the movie.” While the executive reiterates that actors will still be paid, this move means that ” I can do that, and now I can resell it.”

Furthermore, AI could offer substantial cost savings in production. Burns cited an example where a complex shot involving “10,000 soldiers on a hillside with a bunch of horses in a snowstorm” could be generated by AI for approximately $10,000, avoiding a multi-million dollar shoot. This strategic integration of AI aims to enable the production of movies and television shows that would otherwise be financially unfeasible.