Nicolas Cage Won't Work With Amazon Again Over AI Waiver Dispute

Nicolas Cage, 62, has declared he will likely not work with Amazon again following a dispute over artificial intelligence (AI) waivers for his work on the Prime Video series "Spider-Noir." The actor stated at New York Comic Con on Saturday that Amazon, which he noted has invested $50 billion in OpenAI, requested he sign a waiver for AI use on the show.

"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 them use AI on Spider-Noir," Cage said, according to Variety. He added, "I'm probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that's okay."

"Spider-Noir," which premiered in May, was Cage's first lead television role. The series is based on the Marvel Comics character and set in an alternate 1930s New York. Cage portrayed Ben Reilly, an older version of Spider-Man Noir, a character he previously voiced in the 2018 animated film "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse."

The show achieved success, earning 11 Emmy nominations and accumulating 2.6 billion minutes viewed within its first six weeks on the streamer. Despite this, Amazon announced the series' cancellation in September.

Cage also expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with Gen-Z filmmakers, citing director Kane Parsons, known for "The Backrooms." He stated his desire to work with young directors who are creating content through platforms like YouTube.

Looking ahead, Cage revealed his next project will be a season of HBO's crime drama "True Detective." He shared this news, seemingly preempting an official announcement, by telling attendees at Comic Con, "My agent's out there somewhere listening... That's okay that I'm the first to announce that, right?"

Cage married Riko Shibata in 2021. The couple met in Japan in 2020 and have a daughter, August. Cage also has two sons from previous relationships: Weston, 35, and Kal-El, 21.