Lionsgate has extended its investment in generative AI firm Runway, agreeing to co-develop a slate of projects starting with a short-form episodic series using existing Lionsgate IP and Runway’s AI technology. This expands a previous partnership where Lionsgate utilized Runway's tools for pre-visualization, storyboarding, and final-frame production.
Lionsgate is moving from experimental AI testing to a full-scale creative partnership, signaling that major studios now view generative video as a primary content source rather than just a cost-saving VFX tool. By leveraging its 20,000-title library to train models for new IP, Lionsgate is attempting to institutionalize AI production within a traditional studio model. This vertical integration of tech and IP sets a precedent for how standalone studios may compete with tech giants by turning legacy catalogs into high-velocity content machines. Watch for the debut of the first short-form series to determine if AI-generated narratives can maintain the quality standards required for established Hollywood franchises.
Lionsgate's equity investment in Runway represents a significant escalation from its earlier production-tooling relationship. The studio first partnered with Runway in September 2024 to develop a custom AI model trained exclusively on its proprietary film and television library. The deal was structured as a partnership rather than a data licensing arrangement, with Lionsgate granting Runway access to its archives to create a jointly managed custom model that only Lionsgate filmmakers and creative talent could use. Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela described the collaboration as building custom models and tools for Lionsgate's pre- and post-production lifecycle, with potential future templates for hyperspecialized video models licensed to outside creative teams.
The expanded equity stake and co-development agreement come after the original partnership encountered complications. Over the 12 months following the initial deal, the collaboration ran into unforeseen problems including limited capabilities from using a single AI model and copyright concerns over Lionsgate's library and potential ancillary rights of actors. The reality, according to people familiar with the situation, was that a single custom model powered by the limited Lionsgate catalog proved insufficient for the ambitious large-scale projects originally envisioned. Lionsgate responded by clarifying that its deal with Runway is not exclusive and that it plans to use tools from multiple AI companies across preproduction and postproduction workflows.
The original September 2024 announcement positioned Runway as the first AI company to partner with a Hollywood studio on custom model training. Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns described Runway as a partner that would help the studio develop capital-efficient content creation opportunities, with several filmmakers already excited about applications to their production processes. The shift from that initial framing, where AI was positioned as augmenting and supplementing existing operations, to the current co-development of new IP using Runway's technology marks a meaningful change in how Lionsgate characterizes generative video's role in its content strategy.
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