Matthew Werkmeister says he was 13 when he signed his original Neighbours contract, and that he learned of the new project only when he was approached for comment.
Werkmeister played Zeke Kinski from 2005 to 2011, appearing with Margot Robbie in a love-triangle storyline. Robbie played Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011.
Neighbours ended broadcast in 2025, after 40 years on air, with more than 9,300 episodes behind it since its launch in 1985.
RoseBerry Media has used RedSnapper, an AI-assisted production tool, to recut episodes into vertical micro-episodes for phones on its Epis platform. The tool does not create scenes or performances, change actors' faces or likenesses, or use synthetic voices.
The first release centres on Donna Freedman. Two of Robbie's storylines are being recut into about 150 minutes of material. Sam Clark, who played Donna's partner Ringo Brown, also appeared opposite Robbie in those storylines.
Stefan Dennis, a former Neighbours cast member, told the Herald Sun that the project was 'unbelievably invasive, morally and legally wrong and somehow it appears we can't do anything about it'.
The available account does not establish whether Robbie was consulted or gave permission, whether the original contracts allowed this form of reuse, or the financial terms between RoseBerry Media and Fremantle.
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'. The global microdrama market was estimated to be worth up to $15bn (A$21.4bn) last year.
The dispute has put the old contracts at the centre of a new way of presenting archive television. Werkmeister's experience is part of a wider argument over actor consent and protections when existing performances are recut for a different format.
Adam Portelli, the acting chief executive of the industry union MEAA, has called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and parliament to legislate to protect the creative sector. A spokesperson for the Australian Writers' Guild told Guardian Australia that it was 'in discussions with Fremantle and hopes to reach a fair resolution soon'.
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