Hawkeye Star Jeremy Renner Targets AI Film Director With Multi-Million Lawsuit Threat
Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner is threatening a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against director Yi Zhou, accusing her of defamation and the unauthorized use of his name and voice in an AI-linked film. The dispute has escalated with legal warnings as Renner moves to protect his image.
Jeremy Renner is in a very 2025 kind of fight: an actor vs an AI-adjacent film, with lawyers on both sides firing off letters and receipts. The short version: he says a director used his name and voice without permission and smeared him in the process; she says he signed off and even recorded the narration. Now he is threatening to sue for millions.
What Renner is alleging
Renner sent a cease-and-desist to director Yi Zhou, telling her to stop using his name, image, or voice in anything outside the Disney documentary he actually worked on. The letter, dated November 7, 2025 and obtained by Deadline, comes from his attorney John H. Lavely Jr. at Lavely & Singer. It accuses Zhou of defamation and misappropriation, warns of multi-millions in potential liability, and even claims she aggressively pursued a personal relationship with him.
The main flashpoint is an AI-animated project called 'Stardust Futures: Stars and Scars'. Renner’s side says Zhou used his voice in that film without authorization and that he never knowingly participated in any AI-driven animation at all. They position his Disney work as the only thing he agreed to: 'Masters of Cinema 2: Chronicles of Disney'.
Lavely’s letter says Renner 'has no knowledge of and did not willingly participate in any AI generated animation or other project.'
What Zhou is pushing back with
Zhou says this is all wrong. She claims Renner fully agreed in writing to narrate 'Stardust Futures' and points to a Talent Release Form she says he signed on September 15 that covers all promotional, derivative, or related works. According to her, the film uses Renner’s real voice, not an AI imitation, and she adds that AI can’t replicate a person’s voice without their consent anyway.
Zhou also alleges a conflict of interest: she says Lavely & Singer previously represented her in another matter. And before Renner’s letter went out, she sent her own cease-and-desist to him on October 29, warning she would seek injunctive relief, monetary damages, and legal fees.
The timeline (because the dates are messy)
- Sept 15, 2025: Zhou says Renner signed a Talent Release Form for 'Stardust Futures' covering narration and related uses.
- Oct 29, 2025: Zhou sends a cease-and-desist to Renner, threatening injunctive relief, monetary damages, and legal fees.
- Nov 7, 2025: Renner’s attorney John H. Lavely Jr. sends Zhou a cease-and-desist, accusing her of defamation, misappropriation, and unauthorized use of his voice in 'Stardust Futures', per Deadline.
Why this is thorny
Two big issues collide here. First, consent: Renner’s team says he never approved anything AI-related and only did the Disney documentary. Zhou says he did, in writing, and that the track in her film is his real voice. Second, reputational blowback: Renner’s letter accuses Zhou of spreading salacious lies and overstepping personally, while Zhou fires back with her conflict-of-interest claim against his law firm.
So far, this is a duel of letters, not an actual lawsuit. But Renner is threatening to sue for multi-millions, and both sides are confident they have the paperwork. If this moves beyond the cease-and-desist stage, expect the fight to zero in on that alleged Sept. 15 release form and whether Renner recorded narration for 'Stardust Futures' knowingly and with the scope of use Zhou is claiming.