{"id":487895,"date":"2026-06-11T17:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/487895\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:31:08","slug":"lionsgate-takes-equity-stake-in-runway-ai-with-plans-for-ai-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/487895\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionsgate Takes Equity Stake in Runway AI With Plans For AI Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tLionsgate<\/a> has taken an equity stake in the generative AI video company Runway and plans to pull from its existing catalogue of intellectual property for an AI short-form series, expanding a partnership the two companies struck in 2024 and cementing the studio\u2019s bullish approach to the technology.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe expansion will also see Lionsgate and Runway start a new development program to create new content \u2014\u00a0and, thus, intellectual property \u2014\u00a0using AI, with a rollout planned for multiple projects that incorporate generative AI. The companies will also launch a series of \u201cfilmmaker-focused events.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though Lionsgate\u2019s equity stake in the AI firm is not a cash investment.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cRunway is a great creative partner, an exciting part of our AI strategy and a valuable driver in expanding our storytelling capabilities,\u201d Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns said in a statement. \u201cThis is an iterative process. As we continue to expand the use cases of Runway technology across our production operations and introduce its tools to more of our filmmakers, we believe it will help our talent redefine and reshape the art of the possible in their creative endeavors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe companies first struck a partnership<\/a> in September 2024, with Lionsgate employing Runway\u2019s technology for pre-visualization, storyboarding, parts of the post-production process and a potential repurposing of content across rating scales and genres<\/a>. But Thursday\u2019s announcement marks a dramatic expansion of the deal, potentially allowing characters from some of Lionsgate\u2019s properties \u2014 the studio declined to indicate what those might be \u2014 to emerge in an AI project. Some of its biggest franchises include \u201cJohn Wick,\u201d \u201cThe Hunger Games,\u201d \u201cThe Twilight Series\u201d and \u201cSaw,\u201d but it\u2019s not clear that Lionsgate\u2019s first moves into AI-generated content would tap into those.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe consistently see that the studios most serious about AI are thinking about it as a creative resource, not a cost-cutting tool,\u201d Runway co-founder and co-CEO Crist\u00f3bal Valenzuela said in the statement. \u201cLionsgate gets that. This expanded partnership will help more stories be told, faster. That\u2019s core to our mission at Runway, and we\u2019re excited to help create the next generation of iconic content.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLionsgate\u2019s full-throated embrace of AI has come amid a flurry of consternation surrounding the technology across Hollywood, with companies trying to navigate potential deals with generative firms that both protect their legion of characters while abiding by union contracts governing the use of actors and writers\u2019 work. Lionsgate hired<\/a> Kathleen Grace in February as its first \u201cchief AI officer,\u201d\u00a0and Burns said at a conference last week that AI will save the company \u201ctens and tens of millions of dollars a year\u201d\u00a0in film and TV production costs.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the Gabelli Sports & Media Symposium in New York, Burns also appeared to hint at the expanded partnership, labeling Lionsgate \u201can interesting strategic partner\u201d\u00a0and referencing the company\u2019s work with Runway, which raised money<\/a> earlier this year at a $5.3 billion valuation.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI made a joke with [CEO Crist\u00f3bal Valenzuela] when we first did our deal with him, I said, \u2018You know, maybe someday, we\u2019ll buy you,\u2019\u201d Burns said, according to Deadline<\/a>. \u201cNow, he\u2019s probably smirking at me, saying, \u2018Well, let\u2019s take a look at how our valuation turns out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLionsgate\u2019s most recent fiscal quarter<\/a>, from January through March, saw the company\u2019s overall revenues hit $906.5 million, up from $865.6 million\u00a0year-over-year, and a net profit of $70.2 million, up from a $117.4 million loss in the same quarter last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lionsgate has taken an equity stake in the generative AI video company Runway and plans to pull from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[345,343,344,85,46,19369,177775,125],"class_list":["post-487895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-lionsgate","tag-runway-ai","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}