Netflix has quietly bought its way into the AI filmmaking business, acquiring InterPositive, an AI tools company Ben Affleck built for filmmakers over the past several years without much public attention. As part of the deal, Affleck is joining Netflix as a senior advisor, and his entire InterPositive team is moving over with him. Reported figures on the deal's size vary — some outlets have cited around $600 million, while others report roughly $587 million — but neither Netflix nor Affleck's camp has confirmed the exact terms.
Why did Affleck build an AI company in secret?
Affleck explained the move as an attempt to get ahead of a problem rather than react to one, saying he felt a responsibility to protect the value of human creativity and the people behind it as AI tools started reshaping the industry. Netflix's Bela Bajaria echoed that framing in the company's announcement, describing InterPositive's tools as designed to expand creative freedom rather than replace writers, directors, actors and crews. That messaging matters given how much backlash AI has generated across Hollywood, and Netflix appears to be positioning the acquisition as artist-led innovation rather than a straightforward cost-cutting play — even though a 2024 patent filing reviewed by Deadline shows InterPositive's own pitch to producers promised "substantial" below-the-line cost savings, conservatively estimated at 10% to 20%.
How does this connect to Affleck's other Netflix ties?
The timing isn't coincidental. Just days before the InterPositive news broke, Affleck and Matt Damon's production company, Artists Equity, signed a multi-year first-look deal with Netflix to develop and distribute future streaming projects. Artists Equity, co-founded with RedBird Capital's Gerry Cardinale in 2022, has built its business model around equity participation for creative talent rather than flat fees, and has already had success with films like Air. Affleck's next directorial feature, Animals, starring himself alongside Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson, is also expected to land at Netflix under the new agreement.
Whether InterPositive's tools end up genuinely empowering filmmakers or simply give studios a new way to trim budgets is likely to remain a point of debate across the industry as the technology rolls out more broadly.
