Netflix, A24 and Focus Features have declined to acquire Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming drama “Artificial,” while Mubi and possibly Neon continue to explore a deal for the film after Amazon MGM Studios exited the project.
CAA Media Finance has screened the nearly finished movie for potential buyers in recent days. The film stars Andrew Garfield as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and examines the events surrounding his brief firing and return to the company in 2023.
Amazon MGM had planned to release the movie in early 2027. However, the studio recently dropped the project. The company said the film would be “better served” at another studio and added that it is helping the filmmakers find a new distributor. Amazon also denied claims that the film’s subject matter influenced its decision.
Some industry observers believe links between major studios and AI companies may have contributed to the cautious response. A24, for example, has backing from Thrive Capital, one of OpenAI’s largest investors.
Former “SNL” writer Simon Rich wrote the screenplay. The filmmakers describe the movie as a “Social Network” for the AI era. The story follows OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, played by Yura Borisov, before shifting to the boardroom struggle that led to Altman’s temporary removal.
The cast also includes Monica Barbaro as former CTO Mira Murati. Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd and Mark Rylance also star in the film.
Leave a Reply