Sylvester Stallone Defends AI After His Movie Pitch Sparked Backlash: “I Would Take That Risk”
Sylvester Stallone sees artificial intelligence becoming a major part of Hollywood’s future, and he’s willing to take some heat for embracing it.
The Rocky and Rambo star recently revealed that his attempt to develop a movie combining human performances with AI technology didn’t exactly go over well with the creative community. But Stallone isn’t backing down.
During an appearance on The Overlap podcast, Stallone discussed the backlash he received after proposing a film that would use both actors and artificial intelligence. While he didn't identify the project, he has previously talked about wanting to use AI and de-aging technology to play a younger version of John Rambo.
“I get in trouble for this [but] AI is here to stay. I wanted to do half-human, half-AI and put it together, and of course everyone’s going nuts. I go, ‘That’s happening, guys. People are selling their images. There’s going to be 20 Elvis avatars … This is happening.’”
Stallone understands why people in Hollywood are concerned about AI taking over parts of the filmmaking process. He even agrees with their objections. But he believes the technology is advancing too quickly for the industry to ignore it.
Stallone continued, “I would take that risk, even though you get blasted bombastically from the creative community. And their [complaints are] right! They’re right. But we can’t stop this. It’s an avalanche. It’s just out of our control. If you don’t go with it, you will be trampled by it.”
One project where Stallone wanted to put that thinking into practice was a Rambo prequel. His idea was to revisit the character's younger years, using AI and visual effects to make himself appear decades younger rather than bringing in another actor.
Stallone previously explained why he thought the idea could work, saying:“Everyone thought I was crazy. AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image. So it isn’t as big a stretch.”
That version of the film never moved forward, but a Rambo origin story is happening without him. The upcoming John Rambo movie will star Noah Centineo, known for Street Fighter and To All the Boys I've Loved Before, as the young action hero. Stallone isn't involved in the production.
It's interesting that Stallone is so enthusiastic about using AI to make movies while also recognizing how much damage it could do to actors trying to build careers.
During his interview, he acknowledged that breaking into Hollywood is already difficult enough, and artificial intelligence could make those opportunities even harder to find.
Speaking about the challenges facing young performers, Stallone said: “You’ve just chosen the most difficult profession in the world. And it’s going to get more difficult because of AI. I know my daughter [Scarlet Rose Stallone] is an actress. I said, ‘Please get into gaming. Do something [else].’”
That's quite a warning coming from someone who built one of Hollywood's biggest action careers. Stallone sees the creative possibilities of AI, but he's also aware that those same tools could make it harder for the next generation of actors to succeed.
There's also a big difference between an established star using AI to revisit an iconic character and a studio using that technology to replace actors altogether. Stallone seems willing to explore what AI can offer, even if it puts him at odds with other filmmakers and performers.
The technology isn't going away, but how Hollywood chooses to use it remains a major point of debate.