Christopher Miller, co-writer and producer of Sony’s beloved ‘Spider-Verse’ series, has promised that the series will never use generative AI.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verses” was originally released in 2018 and won the Oscar for Best Animated Film. The sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, scheduled for release in 2023, remains one of the best-reviewed animated films of all time. Both used a variety of animation styles, and the franchise has regularly been praised for its advancement in animated films. The final chapter of the trilogy, “Beyond the Spider-Verse,” is currently in the works.
However, co-writer and producer Christopher Miller had to deny that the film would use generative AI following comments from Sony Picture Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra.
At an investor call last week, Vinciquerra said the company was “very focused” on AI and wanted to use the technology to produce movies and TV shows “more efficiently.” Vinciquerra’s comments follow DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg’s 2023 prediction that AI will reduce the cost of animated films by up to 90%.
Some fans are worried about the implications of using generative AI in their favorite movies. Go to X and write: “Dear Sony Animation. Keep generative AI away from Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse.”
“AI takes away people’s jobs and only produces waste. We don’t want that anywhere near this movie or any movie. Please stay away from the filmmaking process,” he added, tagging Miller and his fellow “Spider-Verse” co-writer and producer Phil Lord.
“There is no generative AI in Beyond the Spider-Verse and there never will be.” Miller answered.. “One of the main goals of the film was not to steal the average plagiarism of other artists’ work, but to create a new visual style never before seen in a studio CG film.”
“I mean it when I say I want to feel and see the artist’s hand in every frame.” Added Visual effects supervisor Michael Lasker and production designer Patrick O’Keefe said the studio preferred to work with artists. “My favorite part about making this film is the collaboration between humans.” Added.
But other fans are still worried about the crisis many animators and VFX artists may face trying to complete the film, with more than 100 animators halting production on “Into the Spider-Verse” due to unsustainable working conditions. It is known that he did.
“Beyond the Spider-Verse” was supposed to be released this year, but was pulled from Sony’s list of future releases due to the writers’ strike. A new release date has not yet been announced.
Last weekend, the AI Film Academy’s first AIFA Awards took place. This was in recognition of “the incredible diversity of stories and the fundamentally new visual language of AI.”
AI Film Academy co-founder Leo Crane told Decrypt: “We’re trying to prove the idea that emerging technologies open up the field globally.”
Edited by Stacey Elliott.
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