(writing ganked from Creepy Catalog on Facebook)
"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?" A24 said yes to Google's $75 million. And A24 is now getting roasted for it... with its own movie, which might be the most A24 thing that has ever happened.
On June 22, 2026, A24 announced a partnership with Google DeepMind, tied to a roughly $75 million minority investment. The two plan to co-develop AI tools for filmmaking, things like storyboarding and production and post workflows, framed by both companies as assistive and creator-driven rather than the prompt-and-generate kind. A24 Labs, run by Scott Belsky, is leading it on A24's side.
It is not a merger and not an acquisition. A24 stays independent. Google does not own the studio, its films, or its library, and does not get its data. But, this could mean less jobs for hard working creatives and great minds in the industry.
And the fans showed up. The Reddit thread this meme came from filled with eulogies for indie cinema and a nickname that stuck: AI24. "The AI merger in short form," read the top comment. Another summed up the dread: "Devil grants you easy movie making abilities and a smaller team of people required. The catch, nobody wants to watch anything created by the devil." Someone even said, "HEY. Black Phillip does not deserve this comparison! Neither does Satan, tbh."
Whether this is a Faustian bargain or just a software deal depends entirely on what gets built. For now, A24 said yes.
