A24 and – A24 is partnering with Google DeepMind in a branded “research partnership” backed by a reported $75 million investment. The deal gives A24 access to DeepMind research and infrastructure while positioning the studio to help shape new AI workflows—without turnin
For filmmakers who already brace themselves at the thought of AI “encroaching” on the creative process, this one lands with a different flavor—because A24 isn’t exactly known for playing it safe with new technology, and it isn’t showing up with a typical Hollywood playbook.
A24 is entering a partnership with Google DeepMind that’s aimed at developing new workflows and techniques involving AI, and the scale is hard to ignore. As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the agreement is backed by a $75 million investment from Google.
The partnership is being marketed as a “research partnership. ” which is central to why it may feel different from other studio tangles with AI. Under the arrangement, A24 is set to gain access to DeepMind research, infrastructure, and other technology. DeepMind. in turn. will receive advice and input from A24 as it works on its tools—while A24 would have an active hand in helping shape new workflows for the AI tools DeepMind builds.
The framing matters. The deal is not presented as something designed to churn out a finished project. There’s no mandate for production, and IndieWire understands it isn’t an IP deal or a data-training deal involving A24 content.
That distinction puts the partnership into sharper relief when it’s compared with other recent moves in Hollywood. Lionsgate has a deal with Runway building custom models trained on Lionsgate IP. Amazon and Netflix are also working on workflow tools internally; Amazon recently announced a deal with OpenAI to use Amazon Web Services. a move that led the studio to drop a nearly completed movie about OpenAI founder Sam Altman from director Luca Guadagnino.
DeepMind’s leadership insists the investment has a creative purpose. In a statement, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said the company believes the best path to building tools that empower artists is to work directly with them.
“We believe the best way to develop tools that empower artists is to work directly with them,” Hassabis said. “By collaborating with filmmakers and industry leaders like A24 from the beginning. we can build new AI features to support artists in authentic. meaningful storytelling that helps enable their creative vision.”.
The partnership also comes after DeepMind’s progress with filmmaker-facing tools. Google’s video generation model Veo 3. released in May 2025. was considered ahead of the curve at the time for being able to incorporate sound directly into the video generation. DeepMind’s filmmaker-focused production tool. Flow. is described as creative-friendly as well—letting directors dictate specific camera movements and keep characters consistent across frames without endless prompting and re-creating images.
Still, there’s a key tension in the way this is positioned. DeepMind has previously collaborated in the AI space with individual filmmakers and their AI initiatives—Darren Aronofsky being one name tied to those earlier efforts—but this is the first time DeepMind has partnered directly with a studio or distributor. Even with a press release insisting the work is about research. that direct studio involvement marks a notable in-road into the creative world for the tech giant.
And for A24, that’s the wager: that early access to new AI workflows—and direct influence over how those tools are shaped—can support filmmakers rather than replace the choices that define their vision.
A24 Google DeepMind AI partnership filmmaker workflows Veo 3 Flow $75 million Demis Hassabis Luca Guadagnino Sam Altman Runway Lionsgate OpenAI Amazon Web Services