Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise’s ‘Fight’ Video Shocks Hollywood: Is This the End?

“I hate to admit it, but it’s the end of the road for us.”

These were the words of “Deadpool & Wolverine” writer Rhett Reese after viewing the controversial deepfake video of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt that has stirred significant unrest in Hollywood this week.

The contentious video depicts the two renowned actors in a rooftop brawl — with a plot twist where Pitt is infuriated by Cruise for allegedly killing Jeffrey Epstein, who “knew too much about our Russia operation.” The video was created using Seedance 2.0, a new AI tool launched by ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok.

Like OpenAI’s Sora, Seedance 2.0 has raised alarms about an AI video generator that blatantly disregards copyright norms. The situation escalated to the point where the Motion Picture Association felt compelled to comment—a rare move for the organization on AI issues. Its chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin issued a statement to P6H declaring:

“In just one day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has massively exploited U.S. copyrighted content without authorization. By introducing a service that lacks effective controls against violations, ByteDance has ignored the established copyright laws that safeguard creator rights and support millions of jobs in America. ByteDance must stop this infringement immediately.”

Seedance 2.0 was officially released in the U.S. on Thursday morning after creating a buzz on Chinese social media over the previous week. Users have also shared altered versions of the “Avengers: Endgame” final battle (where Thanos regrets his universe-halving snap) and another featuring a Godzilla versus Optimus Prime showdown (definitely a must-see).

Beyond copyright concerns, Seedance 2.0 is causing widespread anxiety among creative professionals worried about AI taking over their roles. This issue is particularly sensitive given the ongoing labor discussions involving the major unions and film studios.

Although some criticized Reese for his seemingly casual reaction to the video, he clarified in a later post: “The professionalism of the Pitt vs. Cruise video astounded me. That’s precisely why it terrifies me. I see it as a sign that Hollywood could be drastically transformed or even destroyed.” (Simu Liu was not as convinced by the AI’s ability to choreograph fights: “Anyone who’s seen a martial arts film can tell this is absolute trash.”)

This isn’t the first instance of Cruise being used in a memorable deepfake. In 2022, AI startup Metaphysic gained attention for a TikTok account posting deepfake videos of Tom Cruise. Metaphysic’s founder Tom Graham explained to me during my time at Axios that the project aimed to highlight the dangers of deepfakes and prompt legislative action.

We suspect ByteDance’s motives with Seedance 2.0 are not nearly as principled. They have not responded to our inquiries for comments.