Lionsgate Head Says AI Can Recut Films for Kids, Create Anime Adaptations, and Save Millions... In Just Hours

In a recent interview with New York Magazine, Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns opened up on how the studio is starting to experiment with AI, and if what he’s saying holds up, it’s a glimpse into a very weird (and very real) future for filmmaking.

Last September, Lionsgate inked a deal with AI startup Runway, the same company behind several high-profile generative video tools, making it the first major Hollywood studio to partner directly with the tech firm. Burns says the goal is simple: “make movies and television shows we’d otherwise never make.”

“We can’t make it for $100 million, but we’d make it for $50 million because of AI,” he explained. “We’re banging around the art of the possible. Let’s try some stuff, see what sticks.”

And what “sticks” could mean anything, from lowering costs to transforming entire franchises for entirely different audiences. Some of the more interesting examples is taking a gritty, R-rated film and repackaging it for kids and turning a film into an anime.

“Now we can say, ‘Do it in anime, make it PG-13.’ Three hours later, I’ll have the movie,” Burns said. “But I can do that, and now I can resell it.”

A full reworking of a major film, adjusted in tone, format, and rating, done in mere hours with AI. It’s not just science fiction anymore, this is now a business model.

Lionsgate, which holds the rights to massive properties like John Wick and The Hunger Games, now has the option to rework its library for different audiences with just a few tweaks.

New York Magazine noted, “With a library as large as Lionsgate’s, they could use Runway to repackage and resell what the studio already owned.”

Burns even cited a more grounded, behind-the-scenes example of how this could impact production: “We have this movie we’re trying to decide whether to green-light. There’s a 10-second shot — 10,000 soldiers on a hillside with a bunch of horses in a snowstorm.”

In the past, shooting that scene would cost millions and take days. Now? AI could generate the shot for about $10,000.

Of course, Burns did clarify that AI doesn’t erase everyone from the picture. “I still have to pay the actors and all other rights participants,” he said. “But I can do that.”

So while the creative implications are still a giant question mark, the business play is clea… faster production, lower costs, and endless remix potential.

What comes next? We’re all about to find out. This is wild, but its the future. The ball is rolling and there’s no stopping it.