AI Celebrity Voices
ElevenLabs Expands Celebrity AI Voice Licensing, Releases Michael Caine-Voiced Odyssey Audiobook
Key Points
ElevenLabs’ Iconic Marketplace has expanded celebrity licensing to Stan Lee, with the company stating it “now owned the commercial rights to Lee's image and voice and intended to license them for further use by other companies,” enabling digitally resurrected appearances in films and commercials; the library also includes living and deceased stars such as Judy Garland, David Hasselhoff, Albert Einstein, and Matthew McConaughey (who has invested in the company).
The Odyssey AI audiobook was produced with a four-producer team for a 20-character cast, a scale described as enabling work that was “previously not possible to do that type of work with a small team and a short timeline.”
Michael Caine’s involvement is described as consent-based and compensated, with the actor reportedly consulted and the marketing materials approved; however, coverage notes it isn’t clear whether he has actually heard the final product.
ElevenLabs bills the Odyssey project as its inaugural in-house production and its first cinematic multicast audiobook, using AI voices to tell a 13-hour retelling with a 20-voice cast; the title is released ahead of Nolan’s own Odyssey film and is available through ElevenReader (with reports noting six weeks of production time).
ElevenLabs released a 13-hour AI audiobook of Homer's *The Odyssey* on June 23, 2026, narrated by a licensed clone of Michael Caine's voice. The 93-year-old actor, who retired from live performance, issued a statement calling it "a pleasure to be a part of this retelling" IGN.
The production took just six weeks and required only four human producers to manage a 20-voice AI cast — work that The Wrap described as "previously not possible" with such a small team and short timeline. It is ElevenLabs' first in-house cinematic audiobook, released on its ElevenReader app ahead of Christopher Nolan's live-action *Odyssey* film, which opens July 17, 2026.
A Six-Week Sprint Rewrites Audiobook Economics
Traditional audiobooks of this scale take months and require dozens of live voice actors in recording studios. ElevenLabs built this one in six weeks with four producers and a fully AI-generated cast of 20 voices, according to The Wrap. The text is William Cullen Bryant's 1870s translation of Homer — a public domain version that carries no licensing fee, unlike modern translations.
The price tag of that speed is hard to ignore for the voice-acting industry. Work that once employed unionized professionals for months can now be "shipped" in a fraction of the time, Publishers Lunch reported. Smaller audiobook publishers may struggle to compete with AI productions that carry the brand power of a Michael Caine at a fraction of the traditional cost.
ElevenLabs' Iconic Marketplace Signs Stars Living and Dead
ElevenLabs launched its Iconic Marketplace in November 2025, signing Michael Caine and investor Matthew McConaughey to license their voices for commercial AI use, according to Variety. The library has since grown to include Judy Garland, David Hasselhoff, and Albert Einstein. In May 2026, the company struck a deal with Stan Lee Universe, announcing it "now owned the commercial rights to Lee's image and voice" and would license them to other companies for films and commercials, Kotaku reported.
ElevenLabs raised $500 million in a February 2026 Series D round led by Sequoia Capital, lifting its valuation to $11 billion, according to TNW. CEO Mati Staniszewski describes the company's approach as "performer-centered." McConaughey, who invested early, says the technology "unlocks extraordinary storytelling capabilities."
Caine Consented — But Did He Hear the Final 13 Hours?
ElevenLabs says Caine was consulted throughout and that marketing materials were approved by him. Dustin Blank, the company's Head of Partnerships, told The Wrap that Caine is a "national treasure" and his voice was the right anchor for a cinematic production. Caine is compensated for the licensing deal, though exact terms were not disclosed.
Critics are not fully satisfied. The *A.V. Club* noted that while Caine consented to the licensing, it is unclear how much control he had over the specific nuances of the full 13-hour performance — or whether he ever listened to it. That gap between consent and creative control sits at the heart of the debate over AI voice licensing.
NO FAKES Act Advances as the Legal Clock Ticks
On June 18, 2026 — just five days before the audiobook dropped — the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the NO FAKES Act. The bipartisan bill would create a federal right to authorize or refuse digital replicas of your voice and likeness, according to RIAA. That right would survive death for 70 years, letting estates like Stan Lee's manage AI likenesses as legal property. Violations could carry statutory damages of up to $750,000 per work.
The bill aims to replace a patchwork of state laws — Tennessee's ELVIS Act, passed in July 2024, was among the first. Critics like Andrew Sanford of *Pajiba* call the broader trend "ghoulish," arguing that dragging celebrity voices into AI productions strips them of the "soul" that made them valuable in the first place. ElevenLabs frames it differently: as a way for a retired 93-year-old to keep performing without setting foot in a studio.
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