Amazon Drops 'Artificial' Sam Altman Biopic After
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- Amazon dropped "Artificial" — Guadagnino's Sam Altman biopic starring Andrew Garfield as Altman — saying in a statement first reported by Puck that "Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio"
- Amazon's OpenAI investment totals $15bn immediately plus an additional $35bn once certain conditions are met, on top of a $38bn cloud computing deal the companies signed last year
- The film, scripted by Simon Rich and wrapped last autumn, was targeting a wide release in early 2027 after a US awards qualifying run over Christmas to avoid competing with Aaron Sorkin's Facebook follow-up "The Social Reckoning"
- Warner Bros and Paramount had previously passed on Rich's script, with Puck reporting last year that studios deemed it "dull" — a detail that predates Amazon's involvement
- The biopic focuses on Altman's dramatic 2023 firing and rehiring, with Anora's Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever; Amazon noted the film is "not a flattering portrayal" of its new business partner
Why it matters: Amazon's OpenAI commitment now totals up to roughly $88bn when stacking the new equity investment on top of last year's cloud deal, making distribution of a critical Altman biopic a clear conflict. With Warner Bros, Paramount, and now Amazon all stepping away, the star-studded film faces real release uncertainty despite Guadagnino's awards track record.
