Stop! Those! AI rumors!
Before even being released in theaters, RuPaul’s film Stop! That! Train! has faced social media speculation and even calls for boycott over the rumored use of generative artificial intelligence for special effects.
However, a source with the upcoming action-comedy film — co-produced by Unapologetic Projects and World of Wonder, the company that created RuPaul's Drag Race — confirmed with Out that no generative AI was used in the making of the film.
The controversy first seems to have first stemmed from filmmaker and VFX artist Gloria Cook’s Letterbox review of Stop! That! Train!
On May 28, Cook, who attended an early screening, claimed that Stop! That! Train! had “one of the most conspicuous uses of AI I’ve seen in a film, with a lot of VFX looking like gen AI,” and also cited to an AI company listed in the end credits.
This claim spread quickly online, where fans started posting outrage that generative AI may have been used in creating what they believe should have been a purely human-made artistic endeavor.
In a post on X that already has more than a million views, @ben_eales wrote, "RuPaul movie apparently confirmed to contain mass amounts of genAI with the top billed VFX company literally being AI-based... secret blessing that shit ain't playing in the UK.”
Comedian Zach Zimmerman posted sarcastically that he was surprised RuPaul, who has a “deep concern for the environment and passion for ensuring other artists are always compensated for their work, made a movie with AI!” (This is likely a reference to RuPaul's ties to fracking, which have become a running gag in the Drag Race world.)
“Girlfriend just made a pained sound on FaceTime and when I asked what was wrong they said 'there’s a ton of AI in the new RuPaul movie,'” @dykegenius also wrote on X.
So, what is real and what is rumor?
Directed by Adam Shankman and starring Drag Race alums Ginger Mini, Jujubee, and Latrice Royale, the new production — a disaster film in the mold of Airplane! that follows a drag queen-staffed train going off the rails — did partner with the company Acme AI & FX.
According to a recent Village Voice article about how Acme AI & FX is changing film production, this company is “serving as VFX and AI partner on Stop! That! Train!" in addition to working on the upcoming Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson movie Killing Satoshi. The publication says that Acme is “pitching itself as a production infrastructure company rather than a replacement for creative labor.”
"The company’s technology is used to reduce or eliminate many of the traditional costs associated with location shooting, set construction, travel, permits and logistical delays," states The Village Voice, while noting actors, directors, writers, and department heads keep their positions in this arrangement.
A source with Stop! That! Train! clarified to Out that no generative AI was used to make the film, which employs many special effects in the fictional journey of a runaway high-speed train, the Glamazon Express, as it careens toward a fictional natural disaster called a "Stormaganza." They pointed out that many VFX artists are also listed in the credits.
Acme, the source said, uses AI as a tool but did not replace any humans in the creation of these effects. (A key criticism of these alleged AI uses focuses on concerns that the technology is taking the place of human artists in drag productions, a field of entertainment built on radical self-expression and creativity.)
Drag Race's previous AI controversies
Last year, RuPaul's Drag Race was accused of using generative AI in an animated short featuring cartoon versions of Drag Race alum Jinkx Monsoon and Plasma; the popular Drag Race commentary account GreenGay called the act “soulless.”
Drag Race was also called out in April when it appeared AI was used to create contestant portraits in season 18, episode 14.
The use of artificial intelligence in Hollywood productions remains controversial, but it is becoming more commonplace as a tool. Recently, AI has been used to aid in creating VFX for movies like The Fall Guy, Dune: Part 2, Late Night With the Devil, and A Complete Unknown. AI voice-generated technology was even used to make Adrian Brody’s Hungarian accent in The Brutalist sound more authentic, and he won Best Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards for the role.
The Stop! That! Train! source urged fans to not be deterred by rumors and encouraged them to support the film, which is notable for showcasing a cast of ally, LGBTQ+, and drag performers in a theatrical film.
Stop! That! Train! premieres in theaters on June 12.
