ElevenLabs Targets Hollywood as Its Voice AI Platform

ElevenLabs, the AI audio company valued at $11 billion, is making a deliberate push to become the voice infrastructure layer for Hollywood film, television, games, and audiobooks. CEO Mati Staniszewski told Deadline in May 2026 that the path into entertainment runs through talent participation. "There is clearly a lot of interest in what this technology can unlock... you need to figure out how to bring the talent on board", he said.

The Numbers

ElevenLabs crossed $330 million in annual recurring revenue as of January 2026, a figure Staniszewski confirmed directly. In February 2026, the company raised $500 million. Those two numbers put the Hollywood strategy in financial context: this is not a startup looking for a business model.

The company was founded in 2021 by Staniszewski and Piotr Dabkowski.

The Iconic Voice Marketplace

ElevenLabs built its Hollywood strategy around a voice licensing marketplace where talent and estates authorize specific uses of their voices. Agreements are reached off platform; ElevenLabs' cloning technology delivers the voice once consent is secured.

Matthew McConaughey is an investor and uses ElevenLabs to translate his Lyrics of Livin' newsletter into Spanish. Michael Caine licensed his voice for the ElevenReader app, which lets subscribers have articles, books, and PDFs read to them in Caine's voice. Liza Minnelli is creating new music with the company.

James Earl Jones is among the most significant partnerships. ElevenLabs resurrected his voice for Darth Vader in Fortnite, a process the company says was done "in close consultation with Jones' family". Historical estate partners include John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, and Judy Garland.

Consent as the Business Model

The marketplace's defining feature is that authorization from the talent or estate is built into every deal before delivery. Users submit requests; ElevenLabs matches them with rights holders; agreements are completed before the voice is accessed. That structure separates the company from unauthorized voice cloning tools.

ElevenLabs' Turbo v2.5 model is available directly in the AI FILMS Studio voice workspace, where it can be used for AI voice generation and narration projects.

The McConaughey Parallel

McConaughey's role at ElevenLabs sits alongside a separate legal strategy. In May 2026, he filed eight trademark applications at Cannes covering his voice and likeness as legal categories, adding formal protection to his public position that performers should own their identities in the AI era.

The two moves address different parts of the same problem. The trademark filings create legal standing against unauthorized use. The ElevenLabs investment represents his position on consented, compensated use as the standard the industry should adopt.

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Sources

Deadline | Variety | TechCrunch | The Hollywood Reporter | The Wrap