DISNEY’S DEEPFAKE DILEMMA

TL;DR — Disney reportedly scrapped a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson deepfake for Moana and an AI-generated soldier for Tron: Ares over PR concerns. Interestingly, The Rock had approved the prospective deepfake, but it was the studio that ultimately nixed the idea.

The news — Deadline says Disney walked back two AI-driven VFX ideas, citing the reputational risk in a heated Hollywood labor and fan climate.

Why it matters — Studios are now weighing cost savings vs. audience trust. In the current mood, even experiments can look like replacing people—or rewriting stars.

Between the lines — AI will continue to be used in VFX, but it will likely be relegated to background assists like paint-outs and rotoscoping rather than headline-grabbing substitutions.

What’s next — Transparent disclosure norms could emerge for films and visual content: where AI helped, where it didn’t. YouTube recently started demonetizing AI-generated content. And there will eventually be industry standards adopted and contractual guardrails enforced around an actor’s likeness being used—either with or without their permission.

What to watch —

• Will Disney begin marketing “authenticity” the way it sells churros—at a premium?

• Will deepfaked stars start unionizing…or just negotiate better GPUs?

• How long before a studio press release swaps “beloved actor” for “beloved dataset”?