Prominent Hollywood writer says ‘it’s likely over for us’ after viral AI video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt

A prominent Hollywood screenwriter admitted “it’s likely over for us” as they gave their damning reaction to a viral AI-generated video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

The 15-second clip appears to show the pair battling it out in a high-stakes fight scene – but the clip isn’t from a film starring the two A-listers. It was, according to its creator, made “simply by entering a two-line prompt” into an artificial intelligence tool owned by TikTok’s Chinese parent company.

The video, posted by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson, has been viewed on X more than 1.5 million times and has sparked an outpouring of responses from industry figures and film fans alike.

Deadpool & Wolverine screenwriter Rhett Reese is among those who have shared their thoughts, and kicked things off by simply stating: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”

In a follow-up post, he wrote: “In next to no time, one person is going to be able to sit at a computer and create a movie indistinguishable from what Hollywood now releases. True, if that person is no good, it will suck.

“But if that person possesses Christopher Nolan’s talent and taste (and someone like that will rapidly come along), it will be tremendous.”

Reese added that he is “not at all excited about AI encroaching into creative endeavours”.

“To the contrary, I’m terrified,” he said. “So many people I love are facing the loss of careers they love. I myself am at risk. When I wrote ‘It’s over,’ I didn’t mean it to sound cavalier or flippant. I was blown away by the Pitt v Cruise video because it is so professional.

“That’s exactly why I’m scared. My glass half empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionised/decimated. If you truly think the Pitt v Cruise video is unimpressive slop, you’ve got nothing to worry about. But I’m shook.”

The AI video creator tool used to create the clip, Seedance 2.0, was launched on Thursday (12 February) and denounced almost immediately by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), who accused its owner ByteDance of engaging in “unauthorised use of US copyrighted works on a massive scale”.

A spokesperson said: “By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity.”

The Independent has contacted ByteDance for comment.

In a blog post to mark SeeDance 2.0’s launch, ByteDance said the tool “can achieve extremely realistic audiovisual effects”. “Combined with reference and editing capabilities, it can significantly reduce content production costs in scenarios such as film, advertising, e-commerce, and games,” it added.

As AI technologies have developed rapidly in recent years, numerous figures and organisations within the entertainment industry have expressed concerns.

Multiple Hollywood names spoke out last year when an actor created entirely by AI (referred to as “Tilly Norwood”) sparked interest from talent agencies. In December, the UK’s actors’ union overwhelmingly voted to refuse digital scanning for artificial intelligence purposes, a move that could pave the way for industrial action.

Despite the near industry-wide outcry, some studios have pushed forward with integrating AI into its film and TV-making, with Amazon creating a new team focused on developing tools to cut costs and streamline the creative process.