AI’s Man of Steel: The Rise Of Fake Superman Trailers And The Studios Cashing In

Dan Lalonde
Mar 30
2 min read

David Corenswet lies bloodied on the ground, Lex Luthor looms, and Supergirl descends through thunder and violins. It’s everything you’d expect from a dramatic new Superman trailer—except none of it is real. This viral teaser, blending authentic footage with AI-generated fantasy, is part of a fast-growing ecosystem of fake film trailers dominating YouTube—and even fooling traditional media outlets like French national TV.

Once a playground for clever fans and internet jokers, fake trailers have now evolved into a full-blown industry. Channels like Screen Culture—helmed by Nikhil P. Chaudhari in India—are churning out dozens of hyper-polished videos each week using generative AI tools like Midjourney, ElevenLabs, and Leonardo.

Their trailers for Fantastic Four, Mission: Impossible, and even Inside Out 3 frequently outrank the official versions in search results, racking up billions of views and millions in revenue. The shocking twist? Studios like Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony aren’t striking these copyright-infringing videos—they’re monetizing them. In several cases, companies have opted to claim the ad revenue from these AI-created trailers rather than demand their removal.

For creators like Chaudhari, it’s a green light to keep building what he calls “the closest thing to an official trailer without being one.” But not everyone is on board. The actors’ union SAG-AFTRA has slammed this practice, calling it a “race to the bottom” that undermines the rights of performers and the integrity of creative work.

Critics are especially alarmed when AI tools sexualize female characters or misappropriate actors’ likenesses without consent—blurring lines between promotion and exploitation. Some fans love the content; others feel duped.

Meanwhile, studios, by turning a blind eye—or a profit-making eye—might be unwittingly reshaping how audiences engage with cinematic universes. In this strange new reality, Superman can bleed, fly, or die—all without a single frame being filmed.