Nicolas Cage Refused AI Waiver for 'Spider-Noir,' Says He's Done With Amazon

Nicolas Cage refused to sign an AI waiver while filming Amazon's "Spider-Noir" and now says he is "probably not going to be working with that studio again." The actor disclosed the standoff on Saturday during a panel on the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con, one month after Amazon cancelled the Prime Video series.

"Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI," Cage said. "I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it's like, connect those dots! I'm not a member of their club. I didn't sign the waiver to let him use AI on 'Spider Noir.'"

The cancellation itself was abrupt. Amazon pulled the superhero series after one season, days before the first weekend of the Emmy Awards, where it had earned 11 nominations — the most of any Prime Video program this year. The show had also amassed 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks, according to the streamer.

What triggered the falling out?

Cage did not specify which on-screen likeness the waiver covered, nor what the studio planned to do with it. The $50 billion figure refers to Amazon's reported investment in OpenAI, not to "Spider-Noir" production budgets. Cage's account is one-sided; Amazon has not publicly disputed it, and the company did not immediately return a request for comment.

Was 'Spider-Noir' a commercial loss for Amazon?

The headline numbers argue against creative failure. Eleven Emmy nominations, 2.6 billion minutes in six weeks and warm reviews usually shield a series from a swift cut. The cancellation landed less than two weeks before voting closed, a window the industry typically treats as off-limits for killing a contender.

What's next for Cage?

Television, apparently. Cage called "Spider-Noir" his first leading role in a series and said he wants more. Then he slipped in a casting revelation: "My agent's out there somewhere listening. That's okay that I'm the first to announce that, right?" — referring to a season of HBO's "True Detective."

HBO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cage's participation.

He also name-checked Kane Parsons, the "Backrooms" director who parlayed YouTube fame into a Hollywood career. The horror film recently dethroned "Marty Supreme" as the highest-grossing release in A24's history.

"I got to get with these young directors who are Gen Z, and they're going at it their own way, whether it's through the YouTube culture or whatever it is," Cage said. "They're doing it from scratch and by hand. I want to get with that."

The picture Cage paints is generational: a star drawing a public line on synthetic performance rights and aligning himself with filmmakers who build from the ground up. The test for Amazon is whether other A-list talent will read the same dotted line.