‘Road House’ Screenwriter Sues Amazon—Claims AI Replicated Actors’ Voices During Strike

 

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the "Road House" remake. 

KEY FACTS

The lawsuit, filed in California by R. Lance Hill, alleges Amazon refused to acknowledge the date in which the copyright of “Road House” should have reverted to him, instead choosing to move forward with production of the remake of the movie, which is based on Hill’s screenplay.

The lawsuit says in 2021, Hill requested the copyright of the screenplay revert back to him on Nov. 11, 2023—nearly 40 years after he transferred the copyright to production company United Artists.

Amazon allegedly attempted to complete the “Road House” remake one day before the copyright would return to Hill, resorting to the use of artificial intelligence during last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike to replicate actors’ voices and speed up production.

Hill further alleges Amazon used AI during the strike knowing it violated collective bargaining agreements of SAG-AFTRA and the Director’s Guild of America, which Amazon signed off on.

The Jake Gyllenhaal-led “Road House” remake was completed this January, according to the lawsuit, years after Hill’s copyright should have been returned.

TANGENT

AI has become a hot button issue in the entertainment industry. Following the end of the actors’ guild strike in November, some members pushed back on the deal reached with major studios, saying its regulations around the use of AI and appropriate compensation of actors having their digital replicas used doesn’t go far enough. Actress Justine Bateman, an AI adviser to the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, said in a string of tweets last year there were loopholes in the contract that may lead to actors seeing themselves in projects they never consented to or were compensated for.

KEY BACKGROUND

The original “Road House,” released in 1989, starred Patrick Swayze and was written by Hill, who also has screenwriting credits for “The Evil That Men Do,” starring Charles Bronson. The 2024 remake of “Road House” will be released March 8 on Amazon’s Prime Video platform and is accused of exploiting Hill’s original screenplay. Hill’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, has taken on high-profile intellectual property cases against Marvel Studios and Disney, according to the Los Angeles Times, representing the likes of Spider Man co-creator Steve Ditko, Iron Man co-creator Larry Lieber and the family of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel.