Seedance 2.0, the new AI video model from TikTok‘s Chinese owner ByteDance, is going viral for apparently regurgitating Hollywood intellectual property on an epic scale.

Launched this week, Seedance 2.0 users are prompting the Chinese AI tool to create videos that appear to be repurposing, with startling accuracy, copyrighted material from studios, including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount.

Viral videos purportedly created by Seedance 2.0 include a Tom Cruise vs Brad Pitt deepfake fight, remixes of Avengers: Endgame, Optimus Prime taking on Godzilla, and a Friends scene in which Rachel and Joey are played by otters.

This was a 2 line prompt in seedance 2. If the hollywood is cooked guys are right maybe the hollywood is cooked guys are cooked too idk. pic.twitter.com/dNTyLUIwAV

— Ruairi Robinson (@RuairiRobinson) February 11, 2026

Chinese state-backed media outlets have published articles touting the capabilities of Seedance, with Global Times highlighting the work of X/Twitter user el.cine, who has posted videos including a Captain America fight scene.

Reuters reported that Seedance had gone viral in China, where hashtags related to the AI model have generated tens of millions of clicks on Weibo, the social media platform. Reuters added that a video of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (now Ye) singing in Mandarin had gained traction.

ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a blog unveiling Seedance 2.0, the company said it had worked with “experts from the film and television industry” to test the model. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount were contacted for comment.

Observers pointed out the sophistication of the Seedance videos — and the potential intellectual property problems. Peter Yang, a Roblox product manager and AI educator, re-posted the Cruise vs Pitt video with the comment: “Everything I’ve seen from this model (Seedance 2) is a copyright violation.”

Rhett Reese, the Deadpool & Wolverine co-writer, said he was “shook” by the quality of the Cruise vs Pitt video, and worried about its impact on the movie business.

“I am not at all excited about AI encroaching into creative endeavors. To the contrary, I’m terrified. So many people I love are facing the loss of careers they love. I myself am at risk,” he said on X/Twitter.

“When I wrote ‘It’s over,’ I didn’t mean it to sound cavalier or flippant. I was blown away by the Pitt v Cruise video because it is so professional. That’s exactly why I’m scared. My glass half empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionized/decimated. If you truly think the Pitt v Cruise video is unimpressive slop, you’ve got nothing to worry about. But I’m shook.”

Rick & Morty writer Heather Anne Campbell was less concerned. Writing on Bluesky, she said: “All of these people who have access to the latest AI visualization engines, like Seedance — they’re being given total control to create anything they can imagine — and they’re turning out fanfiction.

“Seems like it’s challenging to make something new even when you have the infinite budget to make lifelike tv, film, or animation. Almost like the original ideas are the hardest part.”

Scott Adkins, the martial artist who has featured in John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Rip, saw his own likeness in one video purportedly created using Seedance.

Want to know more about how AI is disrupting Hollywood? Read Deadline’s Rendering column.