One of the most highly anticipated dramas in recent memory is suddenly without a studio home. According to a report in Puck, Amazon/MGM has decided not to go forward with the release of its film Artificial. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Andrew Garfield as OpenAI founder Sam Altman, with the movie reportedly serving as a The Social Network-style drama about the rise of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence.
According to the Puck report, Altman is depicted in a non-sympathetic light. Amazon, of course, is owned by Jeff Bezos, who has maintained close ties to the White House, releasing the widely panned Melania Trump biopic earlier this year. Altman also has ties to the current administration, prompting raised eyebrows about why the film was dropped—especially given that Amazon announced plans to invest a whopping $50 billion in OpenAI back in February.
The film had already been surprisingly pushed to 2027 despite being nearly finished, which would have taken it out of awards contention this year. Many believed the delay had to do with competition from Sony’s The Social Reckoning. Artificial also features Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk. The Puck report says the movie was shelved after a nearly finished version was screened, with it reportedly sporting a much darker tone than envisioned when the studio greenlit the project. The script was penned by SNL veteran Simon Rich.
Amazon/MGM has a long relationship with Guadagnino, having released Suspiria, Bones and All, and Challengers—the latter being a significant hit for the filmmaker. However, their last film together, After the Hunt, was a notable flop, grossing only $9.5 million against a budget in the $70–80 million range.
Artificial will now be shopped to other studios and will likely be picked up by someone due to the timeliness of its subject matter, even if some distributors may be wary of potential blowback. As the film is essentially finished, it could still be released this year and become a significant awards contender, especially if it lands at fall festivals such as Venice, TIFF, or NYFF, all of which would likely clamor for it given the pedigree involved.
Do you think Artificial will get a major release or end up with a smaller distributor? Let us know in the comments.
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