Tuesday Jun 23
ENTERTAINMENTGoogle

Google Invests In A24 For AI Films

23JUN
AI ON THE SET$75MA24

Google is putting about $75 million into A24, the indie studio behind Backrooms. It is Google's first film-studio bet. A24 gets DeepMind access to build AI production tools. Its directors are already revolting.

It is the search giant's first stake in a movie studio. The lab's researchers will work directly with the studio's filmmakers.

The pitch is enhancing craft, not replacing it. Partner Scott Belsky likens it to Scorsese sketching storyboards with software. Crucially, the studio's data and film library stay off-limits.

Artists are furious anyway. Backrooms director Kane Parsons calls the tech 'genuinely harmful.' Justine Bateman warns films will be altered against creators' wishes.

full brief & sources

⚡ Why this matters

  • First time Google has invested in a film studio.
  • A24 is the prestige indie brand; AI there normalizes it across Hollywood.
  • It reopens the creative-control fight just as the SAG-AFTRA deal settled.

🔍 What happened

  • Google is investing about $75 million in A24.
  • A24 gains access to Google DeepMind research.
  • The focus is production workflows, not generating whole movies.
  • Google does not get A24's data or film library.
  • Scott Belsky frames it like Scorsese's AI storyboards.
  • Backrooms director Kane Parsons and actor Justine Bateman oppose the deal.

💬 Smart takes

  • Scott Belsky, A24 partner: the tools won't look like the prompted generation people are uncomfortable with.
  • Kane Parsons, Backrooms director: calls AI 'genuinely harmful' and a symbol of 'cultural and economic rot.'

🧭 Where this goes

  1. Likelyother studios announce their own AI research deals within six months.
  2. LikelyA24 filmmakers publicly demand opt-outs in their contracts.
  3. Possiblethe first A24 film using these tools triggers a talent boycott.
  4. Wild Carda name director quits A24 over the deal this year.

🥄 The Spoon Take

The most credible indie studio just made AI tooling respectable. That matters more than the $75 million. If A24 can use AI and keep its taste, the 'AI ruins film' argument weakens. If a beloved director walks, it hardens for years.

🤔 Pushback

Goals are undefined and no tool shipped yet; this could stay a research handshake that produces nothing for years.

·SiliconANGLE - Google-A24 deal·Variety - AI filmmaking tools