Lionsgate is already slashing film costs and speeding up production using generative AI.
Vice-Chairman Michael Burns spilled the numbers: AI can cut a $100 million film down to $50 million. He also claimed an anime remake of an action franchise could be done in three hours.
Burns gave a wild example of a proposed scene with "10,000 soldiers on a hillside with a bunch of horses in a snowstorm." Filming that in the Himalayas would cost millions and take three days. With AI, it’s just $10,000 using Runway’s tools. 
The SAG-AFTRA actors’ union demands studios update usage of generative AI every six months after their 2023 strike. But insiders say rogue staffers quietly use AI without permission, sometimes having artists redraw AI-generated content to mask it.
Storyboard artists are especially at risk. One exec told Vulture,
“If you’re a storyboard artist you’re out of business. That’s over. Because the director can say to AI, ‘Here’s the script. Storyboard this for me. Now change the angle and give me another storyboard.’ Within an hour, you’ve got 12 different versions of it.”
“If that same artist became proficient at prompting generative-AI tools, he’s got a big job.”
Visual effects pros are mixed. One artist said directors sometimes use AI for small effects like smoke or flames. The quality drops compared to traditional software, but most viewers won’t notice:
“Oh, there’s quality lost. But that’s only lost on the people who appreciate it, like fine wine.”
Generative AI is rewriting Hollywood’s playbook — cutting costs, speeding timelines, and sparking hidden use amid union tensions.
Sources: Vulture, Cartoon Brew
