Amazon Drops Guadagnino's OpenAI Film 'Artificial'
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- Luca Guadagnino expressed cautious hope that "Artificial" will secure a new distributor after Amazon MGM dropped the OpenAI-themed film from its slate, speaking on Italian news show Otto e Mezzo while noting he "can't say much" about the situation.
- Guadagnino compared the film's predicament to CBS canceling a 2003 drama about the Reagans under Republican pressure, noting that show later aired on a smaller channel.
- Guadagnino said "the issue isn't artificial intelligence itself" but how people are "completely changing the face" of society, consumption habits, and "the very face of the identity" of the United States and world.
- Guadagnino described filming in San Francisco, contrasting the city's beauty with its homelessness and fentanyl crisis as self-driving cars "glided past them" — what he called "the perfect image" of the film's AI theme.
- Amazon said in a statement it has "utmost respect and admiration" for Guadagnino and is "working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home," with other distributors reportedly screening it.
- Amazon announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI earlier this year, with Jeff Bezos among the leading advocates for developing AI technology.
- "Artificial" stars Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, with a screenplay by SNL alum Simon Rich and a cast also including Mark Rylance, Jason Schwartzman, and Monica Barbaro.
Why it matters: Amazon's $50 billion investment in OpenAI makes its decision to drop the Altman biopic a notable signal: the studio is deepening financial ties to OpenAI while publicly distancing from cinematic portrayals of its CEO, and Guadagnino's film now depends on whether rival distributors will touch material Amazon deemed unscreenable.
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