Lionsgate is moving generative AI from experiment to production planning through a new partnership with Runway. The studio behind "John Wick" and "The Hunger Games" will give Runway access to its content library in exchange for a personalized AI model built around film and TV production needs.
A custom AI model built for studio work
The agreement is being described as a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the entertainment industry. Its central idea is straightforward: instead of using a general-purpose AI system, Lionsgate wants a model shaped around the way its own productions are developed.
That matters because film and TV work depends on specific visual decisions. A useful system for a studio has to support creative planning, not simply produce generic images or clips. The partnership is meant to give Lionsgate a tool that fits its requirements more closely than off-the-shelf generative AI products.
The deal also signals a practical exchange between a content owner and an AI company. Lionsgate contributes access to a large library of existing material, while Runway develops a model tailored to the studio. If the approach works, it could become a template for other content creators considering similar AI partnerships.
Where Lionsgate expects savings
Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns expects the technology to save the studio "millions and millions of dollars". The first uses are expected to be internal rather than finished images or footage shown directly to audiences.
The initial focus is on storyboards and other pre-production work. These are areas where visual ideas need to be explored, adjusted, and shared before a project reaches more expensive stages of production. Faster concept development could help teams test options earlier and reduce friction in planning.
Later, Lionsgate plans to explore broader production uses, including backgrounds and special effects. That expansion depends on whether the tools can deliver enough control for professional film and TV work. For now, the near-term value appears to be workflow support rather than replacing the full craft of production.
Runway’s limits are part of the story
Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela has said the company’s current tools are not yet able to generate videos or images suitable for movies or TV shows. The core problem is control. Creators still lack the precision needed to direct the cinematography of generated scenes in the way professional productions require.
That limitation is important because it keeps the partnership grounded in what the tools can actually do today. Lionsgate is not simply handing finished production over to AI. The more immediate goal is to streamline internal processes while Runway works on more detailed scene control.
Valenzuela said Runway is refining its tools and aims to provide more detailed control over scene creation within the next year. The company’s Gen-3 Alpha Turbo model is also now available via an API, which points to a broader push to make its video technology available through developer and production workflows.
Creative concerns have not disappeared
The deal arrives while the entertainment industry is still wrestling with generative AI’s effect on creative work and copyright. Lionsgate itself had previously been cautious about adopting generative AI because of creative concerns about potential job losses. According to the source article, that stance has changed quickly in recent months.
This makes the partnership both a technical move and an industry signal. The studio sees cost savings and production support, while the wider sector is still debating how AI should fit into creative pipelines. The result is a careful first step: internal tools now, possible production uses later.
Brianna Domont, who oversees visual effects in Lionsgate’s feature film group, sees a specific opportunity for lower-budget films. In her view, the technology could give those productions access to resources that are usually available only to larger projects. That does not mean every production challenge disappears, but it does suggest why a studio would be interested in bringing AI into earlier and more constrained parts of the process.
What this could mean for film production
The Lionsgate and Runway agreement shows how AI may enter Hollywood through targeted studio tools rather than a single dramatic shift. Storyboards, internal planning, backgrounds, and special effects are different kinds of work, and each demands a different level of creative control.
For Lionsgate, the appeal is clear: a custom AI model could reduce costs, speed up pre-production, and support projects that do not have the resources of major productions. For Runway, the partnership offers a way to test and refine tools against real studio requirements.
The broader implication is that AI in entertainment may be shaped less by generic capability and more by negotiated access, custom models, and practical control over production details. Lionsgate is betting that a model built around its own library and needs can become useful inside the studio before it becomes visible on screen.