Google is investing $75 million into the privately owned movie studio A24 for AI-based research, according to sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal. A24 is the film studio making the Elden Ring movie from director Alex Garland. It’s also behind the upcoming Death Stranding movie from Pig director Michael Sarnoski.
Google is already heavily invested in the media space with its juggernaut YouTube platform, but this would be Google’s first investment in a movie studio.
In a blog post, Google confirmed the reporting and said it was a “first-of-its-kind partnership.”
“The collaboration pairs a world-leading research lab with the industry’s most filmmaker-forward studio to help artists develop new workflows and techniques. This ensures the tools of the future are shaped by the creators who use them,” Google said.
The deal is for “deep research and collaboration” between A24 and Google “spanning multiple projects over time.”
“By anchoring Google DeepMind’s innovations directly within the creative process, A24 and its filmmakers can help shape new technology in service of their vision and expand their storytelling possibilities,” Google said. “This hands-on collaboration provides Google DeepMind with invaluable feedback and guidance from leading artists. In addition, Google has made an investment in A24.”
The statement added: “Looking ahead, the partnership represents the beginning of a collaborative journey, one rooted in research and shared curiosity. While the initial focus is on bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and next generation entertainment, the specific goals, technical outputs and creative milestones of this initiative will evolve over time. As A24 and Google DeepMind’s researchers work side-by-side to test, iterate and build, this partnership aims to expand what is possible in the future of entertainment.”
Google will reportedly not get access to A24’s content library or data, and there is no reason to believe any of these tools would be used in the Elden Ring or Death Stranding movies.
A24 is an independent company but has been ramping up lately, having raised funds in 2024 that led to a reported valuation of $3.5 billion.
A24 working with Google on AI research is likely to cause backlash, in part because A24 has a public perception of being more of a boutique, auetuer-driven studio. Beyond that, there is a growing trend of people rebelling against AI in general in all facets of life.
The movie studio landed its biggest hit ever this year with Backrooms, which has earned $272 million worldwide. It’s A24’s most commercially successful movie ever, well ahead of the No.2 movie, Marty Supreme ($191 million).
A24 has also signed Curry Barker (Obsession) to write and direct a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.
AI has been a hot-button issue across all industries, including film. The SAG-AFTRA union went on strike in part due to concerns about AI. Video game actors also went on strike and won key AI protections.
