Director insists no AI shots; fans demand proof

Ahead of Stop! That! Train!’s June 12 wide release, online backlash has swirled over allegations that the RuPaul Charles movie used AI-generated footage. Director Adam Shankman says every shot was made by human hands and that there are “ZERO shots conceived by

For days, “Stop!. That!. Train!” has been marketed as pure camp chaos: a disaster-comedy with RuPaul Charles starring as President Judy Gagwell. the leader of a country tasked with stopping a runaway train—the Glamazonian Express—headed straight for a deadly “Stormaganza.” The film. directed by Adam Shankman (best known for helming “Hairspray”). is built as a spiritual successor to classics like “Airplane!. ” only with queerness turned up to 11. It also brings several RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni into the cast.

The movie’s release date is set for June 12, and early reviews have already described the kind of camp comedy the reality franchise is known for. But even before the wide rollout, a different debate has taken over parts of social media: whether the film used AI-generated footage.

The spark came from a viral post on the film review platform Letterboxd by a user named Gloria Cook. In a particularly harsh review. Cook said she didn’t just dislike the film’s comedy—she said she saw what she believes are “shots obviously created with generative AI.” Her criticism spread beyond the platform after it began circulating online.

Cook wrote: “If the film wasn’t bad enough on its own. it’s one of the most conspicuous uses of AI I’ve seen in a film. with a lot of VFX looking like gen AI and doubt about how much of the obvious stock footage might also be.” She added that. in the film’s credits. a visual effects studio called Acme AI & FX is listed as having worked on the movie. Cook also pointed to the studio’s description of itself on its website. describing it as “fuses proprietary machine learning with cinematic artistry. ” and said this made the AI claims harder to dismiss.

Her allegation also gained traction because it appears to line up with a recent article on Acme from the Village Voice, which says the studio served as “VFX and AI partner” on “Stop! That! Train!”

Cook wasn’t the only viewer to express suspicion. Other Letterboxd users wrote that they’re “fully convinced that RuPaul invented something called GAY I” and asked, “Why is there AI slop in my 2-hour Drag Race comedy challenge?”

Shankman responds—and chooses his words carefully

With the conversation accelerating, Shankman stepped in with a statement shared across social media just as the film approached its June 12 release.

“Every shot in Stop! That! Train! was made by human hands!” Shankman wrote. “It’s come to my attention that there is some online speculation that Stop! That! Train! is full of fully generative AI shots and I’m here to tell you this is patently not true.”

He went further. saying. “There are a sum total of ZERO shots conceived by AI in the movie.” Shankman also argued that the production relied on traditional VFX labor. writing: “We employed hundreds of VFX artists who all killed themselves getting this out for release and not one job was taken out of human hands.”.

Acme’s role is still part of the dispute

In Shankman’s statement, there was no direct response about Acme AI & FX. A source familiar with the film’s production told Variety that the studio contributed only visual effects work. while any AI use was described as limited to background workflow processes rather than anything shown on-screen in the final product.

But even if that distinction holds, it hasn’t ended the argument. Social media users have focused on what they see as loopholes in the director’s wording.

One user replied to Shankman: “I saw this movie and know it’s not true. There’s some shots in this that straight up look like Sora. I keep thinking about it.” Another wrote: “Notice the wording of ‘fully generative AI shots’. which directly swerves whether shots simply contain genAI with a strawman. ” adding: “This is a very intentional ploy because they’re scared of losing your revenue.”.

A third commenter said: “‘ZERO shots conceived’ is not ‘ZERO shots created,’” and added: “I see your careful word choice.”

Not everyone is buying the skepticism

Some viewers, meanwhile, sided with Shankman’s framing. One user argued that AI tools are already part of normal production workflows: “Many tools in programs like Adobe Premiere may be technically considered AI. but it’s nothing like using Sora or whatever to AI generate content. ” they wrote. “Sounds like it’s human made, assisted with digital tools, just like any other modern film.”.

Another early viewer said the issue comes down to aesthetics rather than generation: “it just looks like bad CGI,” not AI-generated footage as other reviewers claimed.

Cook returns with more screenshots—and a personal stake

Gloria Cook returned to social media claiming additional evidence. After reviewing the movie’s trailer. she pointed out that the train’s design appears to vary from shot to shot in a way she said is inconsistent with traditional CGI. Cook conceded she “can’t say for sure that Stop!. That!. Train!. is using genAI,” but she added that the controversy hits close to home as a queer VFX artist.

“Like many other queer artists, I’m currently out of work and struggling to pay my bills,” Cook wrote. “We need to take a stand against genAI as a cost cutting measure and hold queer creators to that same standard.”

Stop! That! Train! Adam Shankman RuPaul Charles AI-generated footage generative AI VFX Acme AI & FX Letterboxd Gloria Cook Sora Drag Race