Neighbours is being recut into a microdrama focused on Margot Robbie – and her co-stars aren’t happy
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The long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours is being recut with AI into a microdrama designed to be watched on phones, sparking a debate among the show’s actors and the industry over the wider implications of television archives being mined for new content.
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RoseBerry Media, which specialises in making “vertical television” for phones, has repurposed original episodes of Neighbours for distribution on its Epis platform, using an AI-assisted production tool called RedSnapper.
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The microdrama made from the footage will initially focus on Margot Robbie’s character, Donna Freedman, whom she played from 2008 to 2011. Two of Robbie’s storylines will be recut into vertical micro-episodes, creating about 150 minutes of content.
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The Neighbours star Stefan Dennis has voiced concerns over the project, telling the Herald Sun it was “unbelievably invasive, morally and legally wrong and somehow it appears we can’t do anything about it”.
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“I’ve got my agent [on it],” he said. “I imagine everyone else on Neighbours is doing the same thing, as well as the MEAA [Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance] and Australian Writers’ Guild. Whether they can stop it is another thing. We’re dealing with a very big machine.” Dennis’s agent told Guardian Australia he would not be commenting further.
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A former Neighbours cast member, Matthew Werkmeister, who played Zeke Kinski from 2005 to 2011 and appeared alongside Robbie in a love-triangle storyline, told Guardian Australia that he only learned about the deal when he was approached for comment.
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“I find it extremely concerning,” Werkmeister said.
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“Not from any money-making point of view, but from my image being used through AI and a platform I did not consent to.” Werkmeister said he had received no notification from the Neighbours producer, Fremantle, or RoseBerry Media regarding whether residuals would be paid to actors in the vertical series. Guardian Australia understands that any residuals will be paid to writers and actors based on their agreements for the series, as per normal process.
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“When I signed my original contracts, I was 13,” he said. “In all honestly I can’t remember exactly every line point, but AI and streaming platforms, let alone vertical streaming platforms, didn’t exist and was not a consideration.” Werkmeister dismissed claims that the vertical format would introduce the classic soap to younger audiences and called the venture a “money grab for Fremantle”.
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“They’re just trying to dump their existing library to make a quick buck,” he said. “I’d be intrigued to know if they reached out to the wonderful Margot Robbie, since her star power is likely a main motivator for this venture.” Guardian Australia has contacted Robbie for comment.
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Mattie Webb, the agent for the actor Sam Clark – who played Donna’s partner, Ringo Brown – said Clark was waiting to hear from US actors’ union Sag-Aftra before commenting.
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But Webb, an LA-based manager with 27 years’ experience, said AI was rapidly disrupting the entire industry. “All week I’ve been dealing with deepfake videos and AI,” he said.
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“It’s a whole new world.” The Neighbours microdrama arrives amid a boom in vertical serials, which are usually made up of episodes around just one-minute long and tailored for mobile phone viewing.
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The microdrama market, which originated in China, was estimated to be worth up to $15bn (A$21.4bn) globally last year.
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Some verticals are entirely original and shot for the format, while others are cut from existing material; in 2023, Paramount Pictures released Mean Girls on TikTok as 23 episodes. Others are entirely unofficial, with fans recutting their favourite shows into snippets for millions of viewers on social media. In this era, Neighbours is a goldmine, having broadcast more than 9,300 episodes between its launch in 1985 and end in 2025.
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The soap also served as a launchpad for several international stars, including Robbie, Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Dichen Lachman, Natalie Imbruglia, Liam Hemsworth and Jesse Spencer. In comments reported by Variety last month, Fremantle’s commercial and international chief executive, Jens Richter, described the project as “an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value from our diverse catalog and content library”.
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Fremantle defended the microdrama when contacted by Guardian Australia, saying that it will only use “original, previously broadcast footage, dialogue and performances”. RedSnapper, the AI technology, “does not generate new scenes or performances, alter actors’ faces or likenesses, or use synthetic voices”, a spokesperson told Guardian Australia.
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RedSnapper was used to help with “catalogue analysis, editing and vertical reframing, with a human editor reviewing and approving every stage of the editing process”. A RoseBerry Media spokesperson said the company was aligned with Fremantle’s response and had “nothing further to add”.
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Australia’s largest union for actors, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, confirmed it was assisting Neighbours cast members and their representatives after the announcement.
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The MEAA acting chief executive, Adam Portelli, said anyone involved in Neighbours could contact the union “to ensure their work is not exploited without their knowledge, consent or fair compensation”.
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Portelli called on the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and parliament to legislate to protect the creative sector by ensuring workers “are fairly and directly compensated when their work is exploited by AI”.
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A spokesperson for the Australian Writers’ Guild told Guardian Australia it was “in discussions with Fremantle and hopes to reach a fair resolution soon”.
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Werkmeister also backed legislative intervention, warning that the project would set a precedent that would reach far beyond Ramsay Street.
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“Converting existing work via AI without proper consultation or fair compensation sets a concerning precedent,” he said.
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“We urgently need way more robust AI regulations, guardrails and proper consent mechanisms in place.”
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