Nicolas Cage Didn't Sign Amazon's AI Waiver For 'Spider-Noir'. Series Cancelled. (variety.com) 48
"Nicolas Cage is speaking out against Amazon," reports Variety. Amazon developed the series Spider-Noir for Prime Video, but then allegedly asked Cage to sign an AI waiver:
"Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI," Cage said Saturday during a panel on the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con. "I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it's like, connect those dots! I'm not a member of their club. I didn't sign the waiver to let him use AI on 'Spider-Noir.' I'm probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that's okay."
Last month Amazon canceled Spider-Man Noir after just one season, Variety reports. And the cancellation was just days before the Emmy Awards, where it then earned 11 nominations (the most of any Prime Video program this year).
ScreenRant reports: Spider-Noir was the actor's first TV role and was praised globally, with season 1 earning a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics of 92% and a 90% rating from audiences. Critics stated that "This sharply written homage to classic film noir — which includes a standout Nicolas Cage performance — is the novel superhero project fans need," and "Spider-Noir is one of the standout shows of the year...." The cancellation was certainly a huge shock as it had earned 11 Emmy nominations and reached 2.6 billion minutes viewed within its first six weeks on Prime Video.
More from Variety: Cage went on to tell the Comic-Con audience that he hopes to work with the rising class of Gen-Z filmmakers, praising Backrooms director Kane Parsons, who parlayed his YouTube fame into a Hollywood career... "I got to get with these young directors who are Gen Z, and they're going at it their own way, whether it's through the YouTube culture or whatever it is," Cage said. "They're doing it from scratch and by hand. I want to get with that."
Last month Amazon canceled Spider-Man Noir after just one season, Variety reports. And the cancellation was just days before the Emmy Awards, where it then earned 11 nominations (the most of any Prime Video program this year).
ScreenRant reports: Spider-Noir was the actor's first TV role and was praised globally, with season 1 earning a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics of 92% and a 90% rating from audiences. Critics stated that "This sharply written homage to classic film noir — which includes a standout Nicolas Cage performance — is the novel superhero project fans need," and "Spider-Noir is one of the standout shows of the year...." The cancellation was certainly a huge shock as it had earned 11 Emmy nominations and reached 2.6 billion minutes viewed within its first six weeks on Prime Video.
More from Variety: Cage went on to tell the Comic-Con audience that he hopes to work with the rising class of Gen-Z filmmakers, praising Backrooms director Kane Parsons, who parlayed his YouTube fame into a Hollywood career... "I got to get with these young directors who are Gen Z, and they're going at it their own way, whether it's through the YouTube culture or whatever it is," Cage said. "They're doing it from scratch and by hand. I want to get with that."
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Him "fucking the prom queen" in THE ROCK flopped imo.
That wasn't his line, it was Sean Connery's
Tech Bros and finance Bros really ruin everything (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Tech Bros and finance Bros really ruin everythi (Score:5, Insightful)
Thats literally who "Epstein class" is refering to. The billionares and tech bros. Many of whom are in the files (Though Musks entry is very amusing, with him pleading to be allowed to visit because of GIRLS and being basically told 'lol no')
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Generously: Musk wasn't willing to go along with thee grape soda and beef jerky terminology, therefore Mr. Mossad knew he was a liability to the operation. He either wouldn't or couldn't be controlled or would readily spill the spaghetti due to his autism.
Can you imagine being too creepy for Epstein isl? (Score:2)
It's the difference between awkwardly hitting on girls and actively using abuser tactics
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video game prices shooting through the roof thanks to ram.
Uhh? Are you referring to computers and consoles?
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I think finance people are responsible for the ridiculously high cost of housing, but I haven't been able to prove it.
I know (Score:2)
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Poor guy (Score:5, Funny)
I hope this principled stand doesn't derail his nascent acting career...
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Former movie star (Score:2)
Another former star actor with 20+ years since their last big movie, who is 'retired' complaining about something to promote their own name.
These planted 'news stories' are too predictable. A few news article tropes:
1. Older actor complains about conservatives, corporations, etc.
2. An aged out of the young beauty actress aged about 30 complaining about biased men, discriminatory casting, etc. etc. etc. attention seeking because complaining about men is praised, but complaining that you are competing with a
Re: Former movie star (Score:2)
Nothing ever happens, principles don't exist. No one can have an opinion. Except you.
Re:Poor guy (Score:4, Insightful)
He is one of very few in a position to take a principled stand and he's doing it, we should all be grateful for it. People at the top are often risk-averse and that's how nothing changes for the better.
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What a world.
A decade ago people were saying that Cage not being risk averse and agreeing to be in any movie that paid him was part of why the content quality was going down every year.
Now his lack of risk aversion makes him into the last hero making a stand to defend the future of the entire industry.
I'll tell you though... "changes for the better" isn't even on my bingo card.
Isn't an AI based film really an animated film? (Score:5, Insightful)
FWIW I have some faint recollection of Nicolas Cage appearing, in his own likeness, in an animated film (something Phillip K Dick related?). It would be interesting to know what he and other professional actors think the distinction is between animation with/without AI? Other than the likeness being paid for and limited to the film of course.
Note I am not referring to AI replacing writers or directors. Just becoming more involved in animation, while is already a part of live action film.
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If that'll all they intended they could have agreed on a very narrowly-tailored agreement limiting the use to the same aspects of the film as manual animation.
Maybe Cage is doing some solidarity thing with animators or maybe Amazon intended to do much more and were attempting an underhanded trick.
It's hard to tell except you'd expect Cage to say something if animators' jobs were his cause.
It sounds like his agent or manager knew what was up.
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This is the stupid part for which we don't have enough info. AI is such an insanely generic term. AI could mean entirely generating a movie from prompts, or simply using a tool like CorridorKey to apply a green screen replacement effect to a transparent object (not possible with classic chromakeying).
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This is the stupid part for which we don't have enough info. AI is such an insanely generic term. AI could mean entirely generating a movie from prompts, or simply using a tool like CorridorKey to apply a green screen replacement effect to a transparent object (not possible with classic chromakeying).
I've seen honest-to-god pros in the music industry play around and experiment with narrative music videos. Just trying to see what the current capabilities are with just prompting and actual videos of band members performing. The surrounding narrative video, underwhelming. Adding visual effects to live action band member performances, passable.
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You must be pretty far down the slop-hole if you're now referring to AI slop as "narrative."
A "narrative music video" would mean something like Twilight Zone by Golden Earring (1982). (a great song and video btw, available on yt)
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You must be pretty far down the slop-hole if you're now referring to AI slop as "narrative."
Reread, I said some musicians are experimenting with AI themselves for the "narrative" part of the music video. More control. And the current results are underwhelming.
A "narrative music video" would mean something like Twilight Zone by Golden Earring (1982)
And that is the exact manner in which I used the phrase. Noting experiments to do the traditional narrative portion with AI.
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No, actually you didn't say that. You're telling me to re-read it, you must have re-read it yourself to double-check what you said before making that appeal, and yet you didn't discover my observation about what you actually said. Which verifies my observation about your being down the slop-hole.
Using it makes you stupid, and incapable of useful communication. Just like using a calculator makes me bad at mental math. The difference is, mental math isn't useful if I always have a calculator. But being an idi
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I'm pretty sure he's done entire movies in front of a green screen, so I doubt it's that.
Re:Isn't an AI based film really an animated film? (Score:4, Informative)
FWIW I have some faint recollection of Nicolas Cage appearing, in his own likeness, in an animated film (something Phillip K Dick related?). It would be interesting to know what he and other professional actors think the distinction is between animation with/without AI? Other than the likeness being paid for and limited to the film of course.
You're not thinking of A Scanner Darkly [imdb.com] with Keanu Reeves, plus a host of famous others, are you? As far as I can remember / tell, Nicolas Cage wasn't in it.
This aside, and while it doesn't detract from your other points above, there is a world of difference between using AI to automate parts of the film making process and allowing AI to replicate an actor's likeness, voice and style in unspecified future episodes / films. From the actors point of view of course - perhaps not so much from the point of view of the animators...
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You're not thinking of A Scanner Darkly with Keanu Reeves, plus a host of famous others, are you?
Thank you. That is exactly what I was thinking of. Not sure why I thought Cage was among the cast.
there is a world of difference between using AI to automate parts of the film making process and allowing AI to replicate an actor's likeness, voice and style in unspecified future episodes / films. From the actors point of view of course - perhaps not so much from the point of view of the animators...
That's kind of what I am thinking, the AI doing things like animation rather than a human animator. Still under direction from the writer and/or director. Perhaps the AI can replace motion capture, if not entirely there's always the stunt person. Voice, I'd expect everyone still on friendly terms and Cage would do the voice as he has done in other animated films and video games. With respect to likeness this is
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CGI has replaced hand painted animation a long time ago
False.
wrong (Score:3)
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Remember that time you didn't know that private corporations have stock with value? [slashdot.org]
You couldn't have any less idea what in the fuck you're talking about.
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wile it was a hit it didn't get the views
Given I watch Amazon Prime frequently and have a history of watching comic book films and yet this is the first I've heard of this series, I'm going to suggest someone set the algorithm up for this to fail on purpose.
Re: wrong (Score:2)
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I literally use Google to search for things on Amazon.
I'm a fan of Bond films (Score:2)
This is NOT making me feel good about the next film...
Re:I'm a fan of Bond films (Score:5, Funny)
"So Goldfinger, I suppose you expect me to talk"
"Good catch! You're absolutely right. You're right to push back, I am not expecting you to talk. There are several reasons I can't expect you to talk:
1. You're well known as a spy who is uncorruptable and has been threatened by far worse than a laser table.
2. You would likely spend the time trying to escape, rather than answering my question.
3. I would not be able to trust any answer you give anyway, because you would be seconds away from death while it would take much longer for me to determine if your answers are true.
In fact, I expect you to die. You not being alive any more would solve several issues, such as preventing you from interfering with my plans in future, or killing me by shooting out a window in a plane causing me to be sucked out into the air.
Would you like to ask me how to escape from the laser table, or how to find Pussy Galore's phone number?
Normally wouldnt care what Nicholas Cage thinks... (Score:4, Interesting)
Amazon misunderstood... (Score:2)
Clearly the execs at Amazon watched The Congress and just completely misunderstood the message.
If you don't ... (Score:2)
... studios will start using full AI characters even sooner. Be glad when the studios still want you in front of the "AI green screen" instead of going full CGI.
Good acting doesn't make money (Score:2)
eeek! (Score:2)
Looking at Nicolas Cage is a lot like finding a big spider when you step into the shower.
Good series that deserves to be cancelled (Score:3)
It was a good series. Cage did a surprisingly good job as a '30s private eye. On the whole it was a wonderful tribute to film noir and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
But it really only works as a novelty. I can enjoy the stylish nature for about one season. By season two I expect more modernisms would creep in, breaking the film noir illusion. By season three I expect that some of the primary creative team would have moved on, leaving it in the hands of people who just don't get the genre conventions and try to make it into yet another superhero show. They might even try tying it into the mainstream MCU. Imagine the fan service possibilities of Ben Riley teaming up with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter just as WWII starts to kick off.
Nope. Do not want. This is a very good single season show. I don't want it spoiled by overstaying its welcome, regardless of AI usage.
I thought it was a one-off series. (Score:2)