Hollywood reacts to AI video ‘Tom Cruise vs Brad Pitt’

Theo Varietythe Motion Picture Association of America (MPA) said that Seedance 2.0 – an AI tool developed by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company – sparked a wave of copyright infringement just one day after its launch, on February 12. The products created by this system attract a large number of viewers on social networks, typically the video depicting the scene of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting on the roof.

This scene was created by Ruairi Robinson, an Irish director. Above Xhe said he only uses a short command for the AI ​​to execute. Rhett Reese – series writer Deadpool – thinks this technology can change the way movies are produced. “In just a short time, a person can sit in front of a computer and create a movie that is no different from a Hollywood project,” he wrote.

Some users commented: “The problem is not only in the ability to create images but in the fact that technology can use intellectual property without permission”, “This could be a turning point that forces Hollywood to change”.

In a statement, an MPA spokesperson said Seedance 2.0 illegally used US copyrighted works on a large scale. Launching a service without effective controls on infringement ignores existing copyright laws, which protect the rights of creators and sustain millions of jobs in the content industry. An MPA representative said: “ByteDance should immediately stop the infringing activity.”

MPA spoke out about a similar issue when OpenAI launched its Sora 2 video creation tool last year. The association requested OpenAI to take decisive measures, emphasizing that current copyright laws still apply to content created by AI.

Then, OpenAI added protection mechanisms to limit the ability of manufacturers to illegally reproduce intellectual property. Late last year, Disney signed a licensing agreement to use 200 characters on the Sora 2 platform, considered a potential cooperation model between studios and technology companies.

Experts say it is unclear whether ByteDance is willing to follow a similar licensing path, while copyright owners may be forced to submit takedown requests and initiate lawsuits. ByteDance has not yet responded to the incident.

Theo Variety On February 14, Mr. Gabriel Miller, head of Paramount Skydance’s intellectual property department, sent a letter to ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo requesting to end the use of AI platforms Seedance and Seedream. The studio accused the company of “flagrant violation” of intellectual property rights, and removed all infringing content from the platform.

A representative of Paramount Skydance said that ByteDance’s AI tools recreate images and characters from many famous brands such as South Park, Star Trek, The Godfather and Dora the Explorer. In addition, the content related to SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar: The Last Airbender allegedly appearing in AI-generated videos without permission.

A day earlier, Disney submitted a similar legal request, accusing ByteDance of providing an unauthorized database of characters from major brands such as Star Wars and Marvel. Disney’s legal representative believes that this is intentional behavior and is completely unacceptable.

Launched in June 2025, Seedance 1.0 is considered by some experts to be the most powerful AI that creates videos from text and images today. The tool helps users convert simple, concise commands into high-quality movies without complicated requirements. Then, ByteDance launched version 2.0, supporting four input types including text, image, video and audio. With just a few keywords or reference images, the system can create multi-angle videos up to 60 seconds long, complete with original audio.

Many videos created by Seedance are attracting audiences, such as the scene of a cat confronting Godzilla, Ip Man fighting Iron Man or an elementary school student dunking against LeBron James. This tool also recreates movie scenes from famous brands such as Spider-Man, Titanic, Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings and Shrekraising concerns about copyright control in the AI ​​era.