Story perspectives

Scorsese Partners AI Startup, Sparks Storyboard Job Fears

6/4/2026

Summary

Scorsese AI Storyboarding

On June 2, 2026, director Martin Scorsese announced a partnership with AI startup Black Forest Labs to use its storyboarding tool.
He said the tool lets his team move faster without sacrificing quality.
He added it improves communication with designers.
Scorsese stressed AI will be used only for storyboarding because it speeds pre-production.
Commenters warned the technology threatens storyboard artists’ jobs, with journalist Richard Newby calling it disgusting.

Summary

Directors AI Divide

Darren Aronofsky’s studio employed AI to recreate the American Revolution in short films.
Val Kilmer was resurrected by AI for a forthcoming film, a role he approved before his death in April 2025.
Steven Spielberg said AI could save us a lot of legwork like scouting locations but should stay a tool.
Guillermo Del Toro said he would rather die than use AI in his films.

Summary

Black Forest Labs Raises

Black Forest Labs, founded Aug 2024 by Stability AI researchers, raised $300 million Series B in Dec 2025.
The round valued the company at $3.25 billion and lifted total funding above $450 million.
Salesforce Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz co-led, with BroadLight Capital and angel Michael Ovitz joining as investors.
FLUX powers Adobe Creative Suite, Grok chatbot and ElevenLabs, and was used for storyboard pre-visualization in Martin Scorsese’s “What Happens at Night” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.

History

Historical Context

In 2019 Martin Scorsese released *The Irishman*, the first major film to use Industrial Light & Magic’s custom three-camera rig for about 1,750 de-aging shots that made De Niro, Pacino and Pesci appear younger. The VFX effort drove the budget to a reported $159 million, prompting Netflix to fund the $125-$140 million production and establishing a new benchmark for digital de-aging in Hollywood.

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Scorsese AI Storyboarding

On June 2, 2026, director Martin Scorsese announced a partnership with AI startup Black Forest Labs to use its storyboarding tool.
He said the tool lets his team move faster without sacrificing quality.
He added it improves communication with designers.
Scorsese stressed AI will be used only for storyboarding because it speeds pre-production.
Commenters warned the technology threatens storyboard artists’ jobs, with journalist Richard Newby calling it disgusting.

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