Cage says he declined the AI waiver
Nicolas Cage used a New York Comic Con spotlight panel on Saturday morning to say he would probably not work with Prime Video again after declining to sign an AI waiver on Spider-Noir. He described Amazon as strongly aligned with artificial intelligence, citing a 50 billion dollar investment in OpenAI, and said he is not an AI-friendly actor. The remarks came while he was in Minneapolis working on the film Perish.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
Cage framed the decision as part of a wider effort to keep control of his own performance in a business changing at high speed. He said he is still searching for how an actor stays relevant as technology moves quickly, and admitted he does not have a settled answer. He contrasted studio methods with directors who build their work from scratch and by hand.[S1]
A possible turn to television
The actor told the crowd he would likely take another television role, saying the need to support his family and to avoid an unbroken run of films made the choice practical. He said he might do a season of True Detective, then joked that he was announcing it first. He also mocked directors who speak publicly about projects before actors have agreed, naming Jonathan Turteltaub and a National Treasure 3 claim made in Philadelphia.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
Cage added that he would still consider a National Treasure film, joking that a version in which Ben Gates pursues the Epstein files would be relevant. He said he would make that movie. The panel also touched on his online footprint, including a meme from The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent involving Pedro Pascal and an LSD trip that he said he does not understand.[S1]
Craft, directors and a dream
Much of the conversation covered Cage's approach to performance across genres, from independent drama to action, adventure and comedy. He said he treats each role as a chance to learn, reinvent and widen the range of colors he can use. He argued that even his strangest characters endure because they come from an emotional place audiences can recognize.[S1]
Cage said he dislikes directors who feed him line readings, asking why they hired him if they intend to supply every choice. He recalled a clash on an unreleased film called The Prince over bizarre hand gestures he believed would work. He also described a dream involving a baby and women calling him away, which he said unlocked how to play his character in Perish, where he wears a rainbow artificial fur coat.[S1]
