What's trending, explained.
What's trending, explained.
Speaking at a "Spotlight" panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 10, 2026, actor Nicolas Cage said he will probably never work with Amazon again. The reason, he explained, is the company's embrace of artificial intelligence. Cage said he was asked to sign an AI waiver connected to his series Spider-Noir and refused.
"Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI," Cage told the audience. "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 them use AI on 'Spider-Noir.' I'm probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that's okay."
Spider-Noir premiered in May 2026 on MGM+ and Prime Video, with Cage starring as Ben Reilly, a 1930s private investigator who is also the masked hero known as The Spider. Amazon cancelled the series in September after a single season. The decision surprised many in the industry: the show pulled in 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks, according to Nielsen, and went on to earn 11 Emmy nominations, winning five. A representative for Prime Video did not respond to requests for comment.
AI consent has become the central labor battle in Hollywood. Industry unions including SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild have already secured AI protections in recent contracts, but the paperwork actors are asked to sign on individual productions is the new front line. An AI waiver can give a studio permission to digitally alter, extend, or recreate a performer's likeness, and many actors see signing one as giving away control of their own image. When a star of Cage's standing refuses one publicly, it turns an abstract contract clause into mainstream news.
The cancellation itself also raised eyebrows. A series that draws billions of viewing minutes and becomes its streamer's most Emmy-nominated show would normally be safe, which suggests streaming decisions now rest on factors beyond audience numbers, such as budgets and long-term strategy. Cage, for his part, said he was at peace with the ending, calling one season "perfect" for what he wanted to say with the character.
Cage used the same panel to hint at his next television project, saying he might take a role in the fifth season of HBO's crime anthology True Detective. HBO declined to comment on the casting. He also said he wants to work with young, independent-minded directors who make things "from scratch and by hand."
Amazon has not responded to the AI waiver claim. The dispute is unlikely to end here: as AI tools spread through production, more actors will face the same waiver decision, and Cage's public refusal may encourage others to talk about what they are being asked to sign.