Nicolas Cage says he won’t sign away his performance to AI, and that it will probably cost him future work with Amazon. Speaking at New York Comic Con on Saturday, the actor said he declined a waiver that would have let the studio use AI on Spider-Noir, and that he doesn’t expect to work with Amazon again.
Variety reports that Cage made the remarks on the Empire Stage panel. “Amazon is a very AI-friendly company, to the tune of $50 billion invested in OpenAI,” he said. “I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots! I’m not a member of their club.” He added that he’s “probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that’s okay.” The $50 billion figure is Cage’s own; Variety doesn’t independently confirm it, and neither Amazon nor HBO had commented in the coverage we read.
What the waiver was
Cage didn’t describe the terms. His account, as IGN and Variety relay it, is that Amazon asked him to sign a waiver permitting AI use on the show and he refused. How Amazon would have used AI, or whether other cast members signed, is unknown. The claim is the actor’s, and Amazon hasn’t responded to it in the reports we’ve seen.
The timing adds context. According to Variety, Amazon cancelled Spider-Noir after one season last month, just before the first weekend of the Emmy Awards, where the series had 11 nominations, the most of any Prime Video programme this year. Variety says it logged 2.6 billion minutes viewed in its first six weeks. Cage hasn’t linked the cancellation to the waiver, and nothing in the reports does either. For how the night went, see our Emmys 2026 roundup.
Gen Z directors and True Detective
Cage framed his stance as a career question. “How do you survive AI?” he asked in a separate conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, saying he wants to work with young directors who build things “from scratch and by hand”. He pointed to Backrooms director Kane Parsons, who moved from YouTube to features. Variety notes the horror film has overtaken Marty Supreme as A24’s highest-grossing release.
Cage also said he wants more television after Spider-Noir, his first leading TV role, and said his next project is a season of HBO’s True Detective. HBO hadn’t responded to Variety’s request for comment, so treat that as unconfirmed.
It’s the latest in a run of blunt public comments from the actor. Last month he called the MCU a “well-funded and glorified WWE”.
Is Spider-Noir coming back for a second season?
No. Amazon cancelled the series after one season last month, according to Variety.
Did Amazon say Cage was asked to sign an AI waiver?
Not in the coverage we’ve read. The account comes from Cage’s panel remarks, and Amazon hasn’t publicly responded.
Is Nicolas Cage joining True Detective?
Cage said so at the panel, but HBO hadn’t commented when Variety published.
