A24 has spent the last decade building an absolute empire on indie credibility. By backing auteur-driven projects like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Hereditary, and the recent box-office smash The Backrooms, the studio earned a fiercely loyal community of film purists. However, that hard-earned indie reputation is facing its toughest crowd yet. A24 just signed a massive AI-related partnership with Google, and its core fanbase is incredibly angry about it.
Google is investing roughly $75 million into the independent studio. In exchange, the multi-year deal gives A24 direct access to Google DeepMind’s bleeding-edge infrastructure and research laboratory. The goal isn’t to replace actors or write screenplays, but rather to collaborate closely with filmmakers to build high-end tools for movie production, distribution, and advanced digital storyboarding.
Storyboards over text prompts
Predicting the inevitable internet storm, executives immediately moved to calm everyone down. Scott Belsky, who leads the studio’s technology division under A24 Labs, explained to the journal that this project differs wildly from typical commercial tech deals. He argued that current AI programs mistakenly focus on making films cheaper and faster, whereas A24 wants to preserve complete creative control and support risk-taking. According to Belsky, the tools will be nothing like the standard text-to-video prompt software which leaves audiences feeling uncomfortable.
Eli Collins, vice president of product at DeepMind, wrote in a corporate blog post that the best way to shape the technology of the future is to give it directly to actual creators. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis echoed this sentiment. He emphasized that working directly with industry leaders ensures the software genuinely supports authentic, meaningful storytelling instead of diluting artistic vision.
The internet reacts with fury
Despite those corporate assurances, the studio’s internet community immediately rejected the idea. A24 represents an artistic sanctuary for many younger moviegoers, and the word “AI” acts as an instant red flag. Within hours of the announcement, the r/A24 community on Reddit entered full meltdown mode, Kotaku reports.
Furious users flooded forums with screenshots showing they had officially cancelled their paid AAA24 memberships, which grant subscribers advanced tickets to theatrical releases. For many fans, the deal feels like a betrayal of the studio’s organic, creator-first branding. Community critics quickly pointed back to A24’s widely criticized AI-generated promotional posters for the 2024 film Civil War. They now view this multi-million-dollar Google alliance as the final straw.
A24 is certainly not the first Hollywood studio to venture into this territory. Lionsgate recently partnered with Runway AI to assist with visual effects workflows, while Disney has explored similar tech avenues. Netflix even acquired a filmmaker-focused AI startup called InterPositive. However, as A24 caters so specifically to a demographic of traditional cinephiles, the move is proving to be a tougher sell.
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