Lionsgate is deepening its partnership with generative AI company Runway, taking an equity stake in the startup and outlining plans for a joint development program aimed at creating new intellectual property.
The agreement broadens a collaboration first announced in 2024, when the studio began using Runway's tools in areas such as pre-visualization, storyboarding and final-frame production. The companies said the new phase of the relationship will focus on co-developing and producing new projects that combine AI capabilities with entertainment production.
Among the first efforts in the pipeline is a short-form episodic series based on some of Lionsgate's existing intellectual property. The companies said the project will draw on Runway's generative models, though they did not provide additional details about the format, timeline or distribution plans.
Lionsgate and Runway also plan to work together on filmmaker-oriented events. Lionsgate will serve as a presenting partner at Runway's AI Festival in June, adding another public-facing element to the partnership.
The expanded deal comes as Lionsgate continues to position artificial intelligence as a core part of its production strategy. The studio said the partnership sits within a broader AI effort led by Chief AI Officer Kathleen Grace and the company's AI Steering Committee.
Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns said Runway has become an important creative partner and described the relationship as part of an ongoing process of expanding how the technology is used across production operations. He said the company expects the tools to be introduced to more filmmakers over time.
Runway co-founder and co-CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela said the studios most committed to AI are viewing it as a creative resource rather than simply a way to lower costs. He said the partnership with Lionsgate is intended to help more stories get made faster, and to support the creation of new content.
The announcement does not disclose the size of Lionsgate's investment or the financial terms of the broader agreement.
Lionsgate says it is the first Hollywood studio to partner with an applied research AI company, the first to appoint a chief AI officer, and the first to build infrastructure specifically to support its AI strategy. The company has used that positioning to signal a more aggressive approach to incorporating AI into filmmaking and content development.
Runway, which develops generative AI tools for creative production, has been building relationships with entertainment companies as it seeks to extend its technology into professional workflows. The Lionsgate deal gives it a high-profile studio partner and now a direct financial interest from one of Hollywood's major players.
For Lionsgate, the agreement appears designed to do more than experiment with AI tools. By pairing an equity investment with a joint development plan, the studio is tying the technology more closely to both its production pipeline and its future content slate. For Runway, the arrangement offers a larger foothold in entertainment while reinforcing its pitch that AI can function as a creative tool inside established studios.
The companies have not said when the first co-developed project will be released or how many projects may follow.