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The Prince Charles Cinema canceled the planned public London premiere of The Last Screenwriter in June 2024 after audience feedback raised concern about AI being used in place of writers. The film was directed by Peter Luisi and its screenplay was credited to “ChatGPT 4.0”; Luisi said he supplied the premise and guided the generation and selection of material.
What happened to the premiere?
The Prince Charles Cinema, in London’s West End, had planned to host the film’s world premiere on a Sunday in June 2024. After advertising the event, the cinema canceled the public screening amid audience backlash. The Guardian reported the cancellation and quoted the cinema’s explanation in its June 20, 2024 report.
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The cinema said feedback over the preceding 24 hours had highlighted “the strong concern held by many of our audience on the use of AI in place of a writer,” adding that the issue spoke to a wider concern in the industry. The cancellation concerned the public event at the cinema; it was not a premiere that went ahead as planned.
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A private screening for cast and crew in London was reported separately. The Daily Beast reported that ticket refunds were confirmed by email. Those details, along with the director’s account of the controversy, appear in The Daily Beast’s June 18, 2024 report.
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- Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk has English audio and subtitles.
What was The Last Screenwriter, and how was it written?
The Last Screenwriter was a Swiss production directed by Peter Luisi and starring Nicholas Pople, according to The Guardian. Its story centers on a celebrated screenwriter whose abilities are challenged by a cutting-edge AI writing system. The screenplay was credited to “ChatGPT 4.0,” the wording reported at the time. The Guardian noted that OpenAI had launched GPT-4o in May 2024, but that does not establish that GPT-4o was the system used for this screenplay.
The film was not wholly made by AI. Reporting describes a screenplay developed with generated text as part of a production directed by Luisi and made with actors and a film crew. Luisi told The Daily Beast that the idea was his: he prompted ChatGPT to create a feature-film plot about a screenwriter realizing he was less capable than AI, then asked it to name characters, create outlines, and write scenes. He selected material and sometimes shortened it.
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That account makes the “AI-written” description more precise: ChatGPT generated screenplay content, while Luisi originated the premise and made human decisions about prompts, selection, and editing. Luisi described the project as an exploration of how good a movie written by AI could be, not an endorsement of AI replacing human screenwriters in every production.
Why did the cinema cancel it, and how did Luisi respond?
The cinema’s stated reason
The cinema’s explanation was about audience feedback and concern over AI taking a writer’s place. Its statement framed that concern as part of a wider issue within the film industry. The Guardian also noted that protections for writers in relation to AI had been a key demand in the preceding Hollywood writers’ strike; that context helps explain why the subject was sensitive, but it does not by itself establish the terms of any particular contract or legal rule.
The director’s view
Luisi told The Daily Beast that he believed early critics did not know enough about the project. He said the film was “not at all saying ‘this is how movies should be.’” He also argued that AI could not simply be ignored: “It is here, and it’s here to stay. We just have to deal with it. We can’t ignore it, as much as we would like to.” These comments explain his perspective after the cancellation; they do not change the cinema’s stated rationale.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the reported complaint count show?
The Daily Beast reported Luisi’s account that the theater received 200 complaints: 40 after the initial promotion and another 160 overnight. The figures are attributed to Luisi, not presented as an independently audited count. They describe feedback associated with this event, not a representative survey of Londoners, moviegoers, or the public at large.
Was the film released online?
In June 2024, The Daily Beast reported plans for a free online release and a downloadable screenplay. Those were plans reported at the time; current availability is not established by the available reporting. The cancellation of the cinema’s public premiere should therefore not be confused with confirmation that the film was never shown privately or made available elsewhere.
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