International
Disney pays $115 million for transfer of rights from Paramount
MUMBAI: Guaranteed $ 115 million, Paramount Studios has closed a deal with Disney to transfer worldwide marketing and distribution rights to Marvel for films like The Avengers and Iron Man 3.
The distribution deal was one of Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey‘s first major moves after taking over the studio in 2005 and Marvel‘s comic book-derived tentpoles Iron Man and its sequel strategically filled the studio‘s pipeline while the new regime readied its own franchises.
Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4.24 billion last year, but the latter‘s current cycle of films had to be contractually released through Paramount via a distribution deal in place when Disney entered the picture.
Now that Paramount has Star Trek, Transformers and Mission: Impossible, it no longer needs the Marvel properties.
Grey said, “Five years ago, when Paramount and Marvel made our initial deal, both our businesses were in very different places. Today, this new agreement is the right deal for Paramount, for Marvel and for Disney. We look forward to working together on Thor and Captain America and we wish Disney and Marvel the utmost success in what we know will be a very productive and wide-ranging partnership.”
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
