Lionsgate Is Turning ‘John Wick’ and Its Biggest Franchises Into AI-Generated Short-Form Shows
Hollywood has been in a slow burn debate over artificial intelligence for years, and few studios have stepped into the fire more aggressively than Lionsgate. The studio behind ‘John Wick’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ was among the first major Hollywood studios to partner with a generative AI company when it linked up with Runway back in September 2024, setting the stage for a relationship that has now grown far more significant.
That original deal saw Lionsgate employing Runway’s technology for pre-visualization, storyboarding, parts of the post-production process, and a potential repurposing of content across rating scales and genres. It was a cautious first step, but what Lionsgate has just announced is a significant escalation of the whole enterprise.
Lionsgate has now taken an equity stake in Runway and plans to pull from its existing catalogue of intellectual property for an AI short-form series, expanding that original partnership and cementing the studio’s approach to the technology. The first project to roll out under the new initiative will be a short-form episodic series drawing on some of Lionsgate’s existing IP and Runway’s generative models. While no specific franchises have been confirmed, the studio’s library includes thousands of titles, with ‘John Wick’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ among its most high-profile properties.
Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns told attendees at the Gabelli Sports and Media Symposium in New York that AI will save the company “tens and tens of millions of dollars a year” in film and TV production costs, a statement that has done little to quiet concerns from the creative community. The studio also hired Kathleen Grace in February as its first-ever chief AI officer, signaling that this pivot is not a passing experiment but a structural part of how the company intends to operate going forward.
Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns, speaking through an official press release, framed the collaboration as being about expanding creative possibilities rather than replacing traditional filmmaking, with Runway co-founder and CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela adding that studios most serious about AI are treating it as a creative resource rather than simply a cost-cutting mechanism. The financial terms of the equity stake were not disclosed, and Lionsgate confirmed that the investment was not a cash transaction.
The partnership has not been without complications, as questions linger over whether Lionsgate holds full rights over every element of its films, including whether actors like Keanu Reeves would need to consent to having their likeness used in training an AI model. Broader industry anxiety continues to surround how studios can pursue AI deals while abiding by union contracts protecting actors and writers that emerged from the landmark 2023 strikes.
Whether fans want to see their favourite Lionsgate characters reborn in AI-generated short-form content, or whether this move crosses a line that even the most forgiving franchise devotee won’t accept, is the real question worth debating right now.
