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Reel AI: Erik Barmack’s biweekly article for The Ankler
When Pitt Fought Cruise — and Why Hollywood Could Barely Punch Back
Erik Barmack’s Reel AI Column from The Ankler
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Sora Explodes in Popularity - and in Controversy - as OpenAI’s Video App Floods Feeds with Disturbing Clips
The new tool’s instant success has also exposed how quickly synthetic imagery can veer into violence, racism, and unlicensed mimicry before moderation can catch up.
Union Uproar Over Digital “Actress” Tilly Norwood Sparks Hollywood’s First True AI Identity Crisis
The debut of a fully AI-generated actress at the Zurich Film Festival sparks outrage from unions and actors who see the project as a test case for digital displacement.
Zelda Williams Blasts AI Videos of Robin Williams as “Disgusting, Over-Processed Hotdogs”
The actor-director says viral deepfakes mimicking her late father exploit grief and artistry, reigniting Hollywood’s fight over posthumous likeness rights.
‘Run It Through GPT-5’: The Phrase Changing Hollywood Overnight
Showrunners, writers, producers & marketing jumped on OpenAI’s update. Industry jobs will never recover
OpenAI Investor Vinod Khosla Says Hollywood’s “Tunnel-Vision Creatives” Are Missing the Point of Sora
The billionaire venture capitalist argues that AI video will broaden—not shrink—the creator class, even as studios and unions brace for disruption.
Karan Johar Slams AI “Remix” of Bollywood Film Raanjhanaa, Calling It a Violation of Creative Intent
The filmmaker Karan Johar ’s rebuke of an AI-generated alternate ending for Raanjhanaa ignites a wider debate in Bollywood over authorship, consent, and the future of legacy film catalogs.
Disney’s Lawyers Strike Back: Character.AI Ordered to Delete Fan-Made Elsa, Moana, and Darth Vader Bots
The takedown draws a legal boundary between fandom and infringement, signaling how aggressively studios will guard signature voices and personalities in the conversational-AI era.
Hollywood’s New Power Title: “AI Production Engineer”
At Variety’s annual summit, producers report 30 percent faster prep cycles as AI reshapes pre-viz and scheduling—proof that automation is becoming infrastructure, not experiment.
OpenAI’s Sora Tops One Million Downloads in Five Days, Igniting the Fastest AI Video Boom Yet
Marketers and indie filmmakers rush to use the new generative-video app as regulators scramble to define what authenticity means in an age of instant cinematography.
OpenAI’s $30M Animated Film is Coming. Pixar Should Be Worried
‘Critterz’ will be made in 9 months and debut at Cannes ’26. The existential stakes couldn’t be higher
OpenAI-Backed “Critterz” Aims to Prove Generative Animation Can Carry a Movie, Not Just a Meme
With a budget under $30 million and a tiny crew, the film’s hybrid pipeline could redefine mid-tier animation economics if audiences embrace its algorithm-assisted artistry.
Musk’s X-Integrated Insta-Deepfakes: More Insidious Than You Imagine
Grok Imagine’s hellish ecosystem where writers, actors, directors — and copyright itself — cease to matter
Showrunner to Recreate Orson Welles’ Missing 43 Minutes: AI Meets Film History in a Risky Experiment
The Amazon-backed AI studio behind user-generated TV episodes turns its tools toward The Magnificent Ambersons, blending live action and generative reconstruction to restore what Hollywood once destroyed.
Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’: Hollywood’s Dazzling Future or Dark Warning?
Sphere’s ‘Wizard of Oz’: For audiences, it’s breathtaking; for the workforce, it’s a test
‘What’s Ethical AI?’: The AI CEO Netflix, A24 & Disney Rely On (But Can’t Control)
Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela tells me regulation will ‘stifle’ innovation, and he won't put the genie back in the bottle: ‘You take the responsibility’
European Voice Actors Rally Against AI Dubbing, Warn of Artistic Decay
Voice performers across Europe—including veteran dub actor Boris Rehlinger—are mobilizing against the unregulated use of AI for content localization, arguing that emotion and nuance can’t be automated.
Amazon Banks on Celebrity Creativity with AI Platform Showrunner
The Amazon-funded startup Showrunner lets fans and creators generate custom animated series using celebrity IP or original ideas, blending star power and AI storytelling in a rapidly evolving platform.
Why CAA Bet on This AI Startup: ‘Consent and Control’ for Clients
The agency's Alexandra Shannon and Moonvalley CEO Naeem Talukdar tell me about the tech trained entirely on licensed video data
Neil Newbon Slams AI Voice Acting in Gaming, Backing Human Performance
Neil Newbon, celebrated for voicing Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3, dismisses AI as emotionally hollow and insists that synthetic voice actors cannot replicate spontaneous human realism.
Actor Ike Barinholtz Eyed to Play Elon Musk in Guadagnino’s AI Satire Artificial
Actor Ike Barinholtz may take on the role of tech titan Elon Musk in Artificial, Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming comedic drama about OpenAI’s tumultuous real-life power struggle.