Mubi Emerges as Front-Runner for Luca Guadagnino’s 'Artificial' After Netflix, A24 and Focus Pass
Amazon said the film would be better served at another studio and is working with the filmmakers to find a new home.
- On Friday, Amazon MGM Studios announced it would not release 'Artificial,' a biopic about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, with producers now seeking a new distributor.
- Starring Andrew Garfield as Altman and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, the film depicts the executive's 2023 firing and rehiring, occurring shortly after Amazon announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI.
- Amazon MGM spent $40 million on the project, which Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, found 'markedly darker' than the script, reportedly leaving the filmmaking team 'shocked' by the decision.
- Netflix, A24, and Focus Features have all passed on acquiring the film after screenings, though Mubi has emerged as the leading contender to distribute the drama based on its existing relationship with Guadagnino.
- Producers remain hopeful the film will secure a new home, potentially aiming for a festival premiere on the Lido after the project was originally slated for an early 2027 release.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Netflix, Focus Pull Out of Chase for Luca Guadagnino's 'Artificial'
Days after Amazon MGM pulled out of distributing Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” other would-be suitors like Netflix and Focus Features have pulled out of the race, according to multiple media reports. Amazon MGM, which developed the $40 million drama, announced on Friday that it would not move forward with a planned early 2027 release with a possible SXSW premiere next spring. CAA Media Finance, which represents Guadagnino, has screened the fil…
Amazon dropped Luca Guadagnino's OpenAI film, months after partnering with OpenAI
Amazon MGM Studios will no longer release Luca Guadagnino's buzzy Sam Altman biopic Artificial, Variety reported Friday. SEE ALSO: 'Toy Story 5' opening weekend box office to set franchise record The film, which stars Andrew Garfield as the OpenAI CEO and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, focuses on Altman's firing (and later rehiring) from OpenAI in 2023. In February of 2026, OpenAI and Amazon announced a strategic multi-year partnership, which inc…
Amazon abruptly drops Luca Guadagnino's movie about new "strategic partner" Sam Altman
Luca Guadagnino and Andrew Garfield have been working on their new movie Artificial for a while now—to the point that outlets like Variety have been calling the film, a reportedly “unsympathetic” biopic of OpenAI founder Sam Altman, “nearly finished,” with an eye on a 2027 release. Which is going to make things a little awkward in a couple of months, since the movie’s distributor, Amazon MGM, has just announced that it’s dropping the film entire…
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