Nicolas Cage may shun Amazon after refusing AI waiver for Spider-Noir
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
New coverage adds that Cage wants to work with Gen Z directors who make films by hand, as he looks for ways to stay relevant in a fast-changing industry. He said he is “probably not” going to work with Amazon again after refusing to sign an AI waiver for Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir”, explaining that he is not an AI-friendly actor.
At a New York Comic Con panel, Cage linked his stance to Amazon’s reported $50 billion investment in OpenAI. He also said he may take a role in another season of “True Detective”, though he presented it as a possibility rather than a confirmed project. The earlier account said “Spider-Noir” was cancelled after one season, despite strong viewing figures and 11 Emmy nominations.
- Cage says refusing an AI waiver may cost him future work with Amazon.
- He wants to work with Gen Z directors making films by hand.
- He floated “True Detective” as a possible next television role.
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Nicolas Cage is an American actor known for films including “Leaving Las Vegas” and “National Treasure”. “Spider-Noir” is a television series based on a version of Spider-Man from an alternate universe, with Cage playing the lead character.
Artificial intelligence can be used to create or alter performances, voices and images, raising questions about how actors’ work and likenesses may be used. Waivers set out what a performer agrees to; their terms can determine whether and how a production may use AI in connection with an actor’s contribution.
Both sides, in good faith
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The case for
Cage’s refusal can be defended as protecting actors’ control over their faces, voices and performances, and as resisting contract terms that may permit AI use without meaningful consent. Actors may also reasonably worry that such permissions could weaken their bargaining power or reduce future work, so declining a waiver can make their limits clear to employers.
The case against
Amazon could argue that an AI waiver sets out permissions and safeguards for emerging production tools, rather than requiring actors to endorse every use of AI. Studios may see these tools as a way to support creative work and manage costs, while clear contract terms can let performers decide whether to participate; Cage’s choice is his to make, but it may also limit his opportunities with a major producer.
Full account
Nicolas Cage said he may not work with Amazon again after refusing to sign a waiver allowing artificial intelligence to be used in connection with his performance in Prime Video’s Spider-Noir. Speaking at New York Comic Con on Saturday, he described himself as opposed to AI use in acting and pointed to Amazon’s reported $50 billion investment in OpenAI. He added that he was not part of the company’s “club”, but said he was comfortable with the prospect of not returning to the studio.
Cage’s comments came during a discussion about how performers can adapt as technology and online culture change quickly. He said he was still working out how to remain relevant, and expressed interest in collaborating with younger directors who make work independently, including through YouTube. He praised that approach as hands-on and made from the ground up. One report identifies filmmaker Kane Parsons as a particular example of the new generation Cage hopes to work with.
Spider-Noir, in which Cage had his first leading role in a television series, was cancelled after one season, according to one account. That report notes the decision came shortly before the first weekend of the Emmy Awards, where the programme had received 11 nominations, and says it had accumulated 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks. Cage’s remarks about the waiver therefore arrive amid the show’s end, although the reports do not establish that the AI dispute was connected to the cancellation.
Cage also suggested he may take another television role, saying he might appear in a season of HBO’s True Detective. The two reports frame this announcement differently: one presents it as news of his next project, while the other describes it as a possibility and includes his caveat that it remained to be seen whether he would join. HBO had not responded to a request for comment cited by the first report. The second also recounts Cage joking about a possible National Treasure film, while the first focuses on his comments about Spider-Noir and his interest in younger filmmakers.
Where outlets differ
The first report foregrounds Cage’s criticism of Amazon and the Spider-Noir waiver, then adds details about the series’ cancellation, viewing figures and Emmy nominations. The second places his remarks in a broader discussion of adapting to AI and internet culture, and gives more space to his interest in television and his comments about True Detective. It presents that role as tentative, whereas the first describes it as his next project, while also noting HBO had not commented.
The second report includes additional remarks about a possible National Treasure film and Cage’s wider career; these do not appear in the first report. Both accounts attribute the AI-waiver comments to Cage at New York Comic Con, but the supplied text does not include source URLs.
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Originally published by Variety as “Nicolas Cage Says He’s ‘Probably Not’ Working With Amazon Again After Refusing to Sign AI Waiver for ‘Spider-Noir’: ‘I’m Not an AI-Friendly Actor’”.