James Gunn has shared his disgust after an AI trailer for his forthcoming Superman movie was shown on French TV.
The 58-year-old director is set to release a new film about the “Man of Steel” starring David Corenswet as the DC icon and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Corenswet was named as Henry Cavill’s successor to the role in June 2023.
However, Gunn is already dealing with imitations of the highly anticipated movie based on Grant Morrison’s acclaimed comic book series All-Star Superman.
The TV channel France 2 reportedly showed a clip of an AI Superman trailer while the hosts were talking about the new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
A short snippet of the trailer has been shared on X/Twitter, showing various incarnations of the character, including the one played by Cavill between 2013 and 2023.
Gunn reposted the clip and didn’t add any words but his feelings were largely summed up by the three vomit emojis that he posted in response.
Gunn is an outspoken critic of artificial intelligence and its use in the entertainment industry. In March he posted a strong condemnation of the technology after an AI image of Corenswet in the Superman costume on the set of the new film was shared on Threads.
In response, The Suicide Squad director wrote: “Let’s see. Can the man on the left take a photo holding an amorphous black blob while looking through an eyeball on the front of his cap? Can the man on the right’s torso grow out of his right hip and can he be stupid enough to wear his pants with the drawstring in the back?
He added: “Are David Corenswet’s hands made of wax without any bones or veins? And might Superman’s trunks be knitted with yarn? Ask yourself these questions and I’m certain you’ll be able to answer the question on your own.”
Debates around the use of AI in filmmaking have become more and more prevalent in recent years as the technology has gained popularity.
Earlier this month, an AI-generated trailer for a live-action version of the acclaimed 1997 Studio Ghibli anime Princess Mononoke sparked backlash after going viral on social media.
The new interpretation was been created by PJ Acetturo, the CEO of FilmPort AI, who claims that the trailer, which has since been deleted, cost less than $100 (£79) to make.
Elsewhere, The Terminator and Avatar director James Cameron was criticised after it was announced that he had joined the board of an artificial intelligence start-up.
The 70-year-old will be joining Stability AI, the London-based maker of text-to-image generator Stable Diffusion.
