Amazon Studios Faces Lawsuit Over AI Voice Cloning in Road House Reboot

R. Lance Hill, the original screenwriter of "Road House," has filed a lawsuit against Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) and Amazon Studios, which now owns MGM, over the remake of the 1989 action film. The lawsuit claims copyright infringement and asserts that Amazon used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to replicate the voices of actors from the original film to complete the remake amidst the 2023 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike. This action, according to the lawsuit, violated collective bargaining agreements with Hollywood unions such as SAG and the Director's Guild of America (DGA).

Hill's legal complaint, filed in the U.S. Central District Court in Los Angeles, seeks to block the distribution of the film, which is scheduled to be released on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. The lawsuit alleges that the use of AI during the strike allowed the studio to meet the production deadline and thus retain the copyright of the original screenplay. Amazon has responded to the allegations, labeling them as "categorically false," and has stated that it directed filmmakers to remove any AI-generated content or non-union actors' voices from the film during editing.

The situation is further complicated by the film's director, Doug Liman, who has publicly announced his intention to boycott the premiere of the "Road House" remake. Liman's boycott is based on what he claims was an agreement by Amazon to provide a theatrical release prior to streaming the film, a commitment he suggests the studio has not fulfilled. As the legal proceedings unfold, Amazon maintains that the copyright termination is effective and plans to vigorously defend its rights to the property.