The recent viral AI-generated video of Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt — created with just a simple text prompt using ByteDance's (TikTok's parent company) new Seedance 2.0 tool — has sent shockwaves through Hollywood. Screenwriter Rhett Reese (co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, among other hits) reacted bluntly on X, saying, "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us," and elaborating that the industry is about to be "revolutionised/decimated." He expressed genuine fear, noting how one talented individual could soon produce full movies indistinguishable from studio output, putting countless careers at risk.
Hollywood's anxiety is understandable: bloated budgets, formulaic blockbusters, executive meddling, and a reliance on IP recycling have made the system feel stagnant and gatekept for decades. But here's the counter-case: only good can come from the fall of this "evil empire." AI democratising filmmaking isn't the end of creativity —it's the liberation from a broken monopoly.
First, consider what Hollywood has become: an oligarchy of a few conglomerates (Disney, Warner Bros., etc.) that prioritise shareholder returns over bold storytelling. Risk-averse execs greenlight endless sequels, reboots, and safe bets while burying original ideas. Independent filmmakers struggle for funding, distribution, and visibility. The "evil empire" thrives on scarcity — controlling access to talent, sets, VFX houses, marketing muscle, and theatres. AI shatters that scarcity.
A lone creator with vision (and yes, talent matters hugely, as Reese notes — if the person is no good, it'll fail) can now generate high-quality visuals, action sequences, and even full features at a fraction of the cost. No need for $200M+ budgets, studio approval, or waiting years in development hell. This levels the playing field: diverse voices from anywhere in the world can tell stories without begging gatekeepers. Think of it as the punk rock moment for cinema — DIY creators bypassing the majors, much like how streaming and YouTube disrupted music and TV.
Sure, there are valid concerns — IP theft, deepfakes harming actors' likenesses, job losses for crew — but these are solvable with regulation, better rights frameworks, and new business models (e.g., blockchain for provenance, or AI tools that credit/compensate training data contributors). The core benefit outweighs the chaos: more art, more experimentation, more competition.
Hollywood's "decimation" would force adaptation or obsolescence. The empire falls not because AI is evil, but because it exposes how inefficient and creatively constipated the old system had become. Out of the ashes comes a renaissance: floods of fresh narratives, genres reborn, stories from underrepresented creators, and audiences getting what they actually want instead of what focus groups approve.
The empire had a good run, but its grip was never eternal. AI isn't killing movies — it's killing the globalist middleman stranglehold. And from where most movie lovers sit, that's unambiguously good. The future of film isn't in boardrooms; it's in studios and minds unbound by the present system. Bring it on!