Sarunyu L / Shutterstock.com
A judge has allowed a lawsuit against Tesla by the producers of Blade Runner 2049 to move forward. Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. claim Tesla used visuals from the film during a presentation despite being explicitly denied permission.
The sci-fi sequel, directed by Denis Villeneuve (who later helmed Dune), follows Ridley Scott’s influential 1982 original. Both films have shaped modern science fiction with their forward-looking visual style and themes.
Elon Musk’s apparent admiration for the film didn’t stop Tesla from incorporating Blade Runner 2049 materials in the company’s “We Robot” presentation — even after being warned not to do so. Alcon’s legal team stated they wanted no association with Musk due to his “massively amplified, highly politicized, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech.”
Alcon filed suit against Warner Bros and Tesla last October following the automaker’s event on the Warner lot in Burbank. The production company maintains it explicitly refused a request from the studio to incorporate images from the film.
The situation escalated when an 11-second slide appeared during Tesla’s presentation.
Musk even referenced the sci-fi property directly in his voiceover according to court documents. Alcon’s representatives had previously made it crystal clear that “under no circumstances” could there be “any affiliation” between their film and the Musk-led automaker. The production company’s objections stemmed primarily from concerns about Musk’s controversial public persona and statements. Deadline first reported these details.
Judge George Wu of the U.S. District Court of Central California has narrowed the scope of the complaint, dismissing several of Alcon’s claims while ordering the remaining copyright infringement allegations to proceed to mediation.
This legal challenge comes at a difficult time for Tesla. The company’s stock has plummeted nearly 50% from its post-election high in December, amid growing public criticism of Musk and challenging economic conditions.
