Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage has publicly announced his refusal to work with Amazon in the future following a dispute over artificial intelligence waivers. Speaking on Saturday during a panel on the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con, the 62-year-old actor revealed that the studio asked him to sign an AI agreement for his lead role in the series Spider-Noir. Cage explicitly declined to sign the waiver, citing major concerns over the tech giant’s extensive financial investments in AI development.
Nicolas Cage Rules Out Future Amazon Projects Over AI Stance
The dispute follows Prime Video’s unexpected cancellation of Spider-Noir after just one season. The cancellation came as a surprise to industry observers, given that the superhero production accumulated 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks and earned 11 Emmy Award nominations, the highest tally for any Prime Video program this year. Despite the critical praise and strong viewership metrics, the working relationship between the actor and the streaming giant reached an abrupt end over the rights to use his digital likeness.
“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.”
“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.”
“My agent’s out there somewhere listening,” Cage quipped. “That’s okay that I’m the first to announce that, right?”
Addressing the audience at New York Comic Con, Cage made his stance clear regarding studio AI policies and his future project choices. He expressed a strong desire to collaborate with emerging Gen-Z filmmakers who produce content independently by hand. Cage praised young directors like Kane Parsons, who transitioned from YouTube creation to directing the horror feature Backrooms, which recently became the highest-grossing release in A24’s history.
Looking ahead, the veteran actor disclosed that he intends to continue pursuing television roles following his first leading television stint in Spider-Noir. During the panel, Cage revealed that his next major project will be a starring role in an upcoming season of HBO’s critically acclaimed anthology series True Detective. While HBO did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the casting announcement, Cage confirmed his transition toward independent directors and alternative studio networks.
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