Studios Pass on Guadagnino's OpenAI Biopic 'Artificial'
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- Amazon MGM unexpectedly announced last week it would no longer distribute "Artificial," Luca Guadagnino's biographical drama about Sam Altman, despite postproduction being nearly finished and an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run and SXSW showing having been planned.
- Netflix, A24, Focus Features, and Warner Bros.' Clockwork have all reportedly declined to pick up the film for distribution; only Neon and Mubi remain reportedly interested.
- The piece links Amazon's withdrawal to its $50 billion investment in OpenAI earlier this year, noting Amazon told Deadline the film would be "better served if it were released by a different studio."
- Google's DeepMind announced a $75 million multiyear "research partnership" with A24 to develop filmmaking tools including a storyboarding application, prompting public backlash against A24.
- "Artificial," written by Simon Rich, chronicles the 2023 period when OpenAI's board fired Altman over alleged dishonesty, then reinstated him days later after hundreds of employees threatened to quit.
- Disney has struck failed AI deals of its own, Netflix has absorbed AI startups, and Paramount Skydance executives have signaled AI is key to productivity, according to the source.
Why it matters: Hollywood's deepening financial entanglement with AI companies — Amazon's $50 billion OpenAI investment, Google's $75 million A24 partnership — appears to be suppressing critical storytelling about tech executives, with multiple major studios declining a film that was weeks from completion and an Oscar-qualifying run.
