'Iron Man' Cinematographer Matthew Libatique Says AI Could Replace Marvel VFX — But Not Actors

Speaking at Evolution Mallorca, where he received the festival's Cinematography Icon Award, three-time Oscar-nominee Matthew Libatique told Variety that AI could realistically displace visual effects work on large-scale studio tentpoles like Marvel and DC films — where technology already dominates — but drew a firm line at AI actors. "You can't tell me you're going to make an AI character that can do what Robert Pattinson does," he said, pointing to the irreplaceable personality that human performers bring to franchise characters.

Libatique also revealed that he and longtime collaborator Darren Aronofsky are actively "testing" AI technology ahead of their next film together. Aronofsky launched AI studio Primordial Soup last year in partnership with Google DeepMind, and Libatique described their shared curiosity as exploratory: "He wants to see how little you can do; we both want to learn more about it." The comments offer a rare on-the-record glimpse into how working cinematographers are beginning to engage with AI tools at the project-development stage.