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A drama featuring Sylvester Stallone and France’s minister for gender equality, Aurore Bergé, is becoming a catalyst for a battle pitting Europe’s thriving dubbing industry against the existential threat of AI.

For 50 years, Bergé’s father, Alain Dorval, was known as the “Voix de Stallone.” From the 1970s onwards, French audiences identified Dorval’s baritone with Stallone in some 30 films, including the “Rocky” and “Rambo” franchises as well as the “Creed” and “The Expandables” movies.

Now, after his passing in February 2024, plans announced in January by U.K.-based startup ElevenLabs to recreate Dorval’s voice using AI technology for the French release of Stallone’s heist thriller “Armor” on Amazon France next month are sparking controversy. Bergé has denied giving ElevenLabs permission to use or publish Dorval’s cloned voice, though she admitted to agreeing to a trial run.

“It definitely created an uproar,” says Jimmy Shuman,...

Hollywood has seen its fair share of wild moments, but nothing tops the cringe-fest that was Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock’s “intimate” scene in one film. Picture this: a futuristic world, two A-listers, and a hilariously awkward take on romance that’s more Wi-Fi than fireworks.

Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo in Rambo 3 | Credits: Orion Pictures

Stallone’s confusion paired with Bullock’s overly techy enthusiasm gave us a scene so bizarre, it’s still living rent-free in our heads 31 years later.

Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock’s VR love scene in Demolition Man still makes us cringe 31 years later Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock on the set of Demolition Man | Credits: Silver Pictures

Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock gave us one of Hollywood’s most bizarre love scenes in the 1993 sci-fi satire Demolition Man. It’s been 31 years, but the awkwardness still lingers, making us squirm every time we think about it.