Andrew Garfield-Led OpenAI Drama Finds New Studio After Amazon Pullout

Neon is closing in on a deal to acquire “Artificial,” Luca Guadagnino’s nearly-completed $40 million film about OpenAI and Sam Altman, after Amazon MGM Studios abruptly dropped the project less than two weeks ago.

The decision by Amazon — which had recently committed a $50 billion investment to OpenAI as part of a cloud computing partnership — has raised questions about the tech giant’s motivations and sparked broader conversation about conflicts of interest between Big Tech and Hollywood’s creative output.

Why Amazon Walked Away

Amazon MGM Studios announced it would not release the film, stating through a spokesperson that it “believe[s] that ‘Artificial’ will be better served if it were released by a different studio.”

The company added that it is “working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home.” Amazon’s exit came months after the company signed a major partnership with OpenAI, including the $50 billion investment, intensifying scrutiny of its motives.

“Artificial” portrays Altman as deeply untrustworthy and Elon Musk as highly dislikable.

Of those who attended screenings put on by CAA Media Finance, Netflix, A24, and Focus Features all declined to pursue the film. Mubi was also in the mix for distribution rights.

Cast and Creative Team

Andrew Garfield stars as Altman, with Monica Barbaro as former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, and Ike Barinholtz as Musk.

The ensemble also includes Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Angus Imrie, Chris O’Dowd, and Mark Rylance. The film was written by Simon Rich and is currently in the final stages of post-production.

Guadagnino commented for the first time on Amazon’s decision, saying he “can’t say too much because we are right in the middle of this situation.”

He explained that central to the “Artificial” story is the tech oligarchy’s “truly radical control” of “the very identity of places like the United States and the entire world.”

The final version of the film took on a darker tone than the initial script, with Altman’s character coming off looking the worst, according to Puck.

Festival Prospects

Before Amazon’s departure, the film had been eyeing a festival launch at SXSW.

Given the latest acquisition talks, the movie could now potentially be in play for a slot at the Venice Film Festival, where Guadagnino’s previous films debuted.

This will be Neon’s first collaboration with the director, whose past work with Amazon included “Challengers” and “After the Hunt.” Puck’s Matt Belloni first reported Neon’s pole position in the dealmaking.

Spokespeople for Amazon and CAA declined to comment, and a spokesperson from Neon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.