Nicolas Cage revealed that he declined to sign a waiver involving the use of artificial intelligence for the Amazon series "Spider-Noir." The actor, who starred as Ben Reilly/The Spider, stated that he likely will not work with the studio again due to this issue.
"I am not an AI-friendly actor so connect — connect those dots. I’m not a member of their club," Cage said at a New York Comic-Con panel on Saturday, prompting applause from the audience. While the specifics of the waiver remain unclear, Cage alluded to Amazon's significant investment in artificial intelligence, noting the company's $50 billion investment in OpenAI.
"Spider-Noir" received positive reviews and earned five Emmy Awards, though it was canceled after one season. The series' streaming performance reportedly lacked the "staying power" of other top-ranked shows on Amazon's service.
Cage has previously expressed reservations about artificial intelligence in filmmaking. At last year's Saturn Awards, he cautioned that AI could lead to a "dead end" for actors, potentially replacing the integrity and truth of art with financial interests.
He also shared concerns about technology's manipulation of appearances, referencing a scene he shot for "The Flash" (2023). While he did not believe AI was used to create his cameo as Superman in that film, he noted that CGI was employed for de-aging purposes. Director Tim Burton, who was slated to direct Cage's planned "Superman Lives" project, also voiced his opposition to AI in filmmaking, calling it "inhumane."