Lionsgate this week signed a first-of-its kind deal with generative AI startup Runway, giving it access to the Hollywood studio’s library of TV and film to develop and train a new custom AI model for use in the content creation process.
Lionsgate has a more than 20,000-title film and TV library and is the studio behind major film franchises such as John Wick, The Hunger Games and Twilight. As of now, the company has indicated the genAI partnership is meant to augment and enhance existing capabilities of those working on TV and film, and to develop new, more cost-efficient ways to create content. In the announcement, Lionsgate cited excitement from some of its filmmakers about the potential for AI in pre- and post-production work.
It marks the first partnership between Runway and a Hollywood studio.
Announced Wednesday, Lionsgate said the Runway-developed genAI model is exclusively designed to help augment the work of the studio, filmmakers, directors and talent, noting “the model generates cinematic video that can be further iterated using Runway’s suite of controllable tools.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Vice Chairman of Lionsgate Michael Burns as saying the studio expects to save “millions and millions of dollars” by using the model, with the AI tool initially planned to be employed for pre-production activities like storyboarding but eventually used for generating on-screen backgrounds and special effects.
“Runway is a visionary, best-in-class partner who will help us utilize AI to develop cutting-edge, capital-efficient content creation opportunities,” said Burns in a statement. “Several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process. We view AI as a great tool for augmenting, enhancing and supplementing our current operations.”
The emphasis on augmenting and enhancing current operations comes as the entertainment industry in particular is weighing possible benefits and capabilities of new genAI technologies, alongside concerns and considerations about potential impacts around intellectual property, creatives and other participants in the content creation process.
How media companies use generative AI and protections for creatives and talent around its use in TV and film was a contention point in negotiations during last year’s dual Hollywood writers and actors union strikes.
And there has been pushback against some AI companies over their use of copyrighted creative works. That includes an ongoing class action lawsuit in California filed against Runway and other genAI companies by visual artists alleging copyright infringement and misuse of their work by the companies to train genAI models that provide image and video generation. The AI companies have argued they make fair use of copyrighted data to train their models, according to Reuters. Runway has also filed a motion to dismiss the case.
In announcing the Lionsgate deal, Runway’s CEO cited intention for developing research and building a new creative stack.
“We’re rebuilding the creative stack from the ground up and developing impactful research that will be a major force of change across industries,” stated Runway CEO and Co-founder Cristóbal Valenzuela. “The next phase of storytelling will be highly democratized, and our ultimate goal is to create a more equitable, diverse and creative world through our products and research outputs. We are thrilled to have continued support from investors, partners, and customers who believe in this vision.”
The Lionsgate-Runway deal marks a major genAI tech-content collaboration, representing a pairing that some view as a logical move that the industry is likely to see more of.
Generative AI and tech industry expert Shelly Palmer, CEO of The Palmer Group, in a blog (“created with the assistance of various generative AI models”) suggested that the deal with Runway is a natural step for Lionsgate.
“When thinking about the value of a custom AI platform to a Hollywood studio, one has to remember that, at their core, studios are factories. Like all factories, increased productivity is a key driver of economic success,” wrote Palmer. “It's pretty clear that generative AI and agentic AI platforms can (and will) dramatically improve productivity across a wide range of production tasks. This is a pretty logical step for any factory to take.”
That said, when creativity and humans are in the mix, injecting efficiency through technology might not always be straightforward as some industries nor necessarily easily welcomed.
But with millions of dollars in savings expected by Lionsgate, Palmer wrote Thursday that the Runway deal is a first in Hollywood, “but it will not be the last.”