Luca Guadagnino broke his silence Friday over the distribution crisis surrounding “Artificial,” his nearly finished Sam Altman biopic, expressing measured optimism that the film will find a release while warning that a small technological elite now holds unprecedented sway over cultural and political life.
Speaking on the Italian television program “Otto e Mezzo,” Guadagnino prefaced his remarks by saying he “can’t say much because we are right in the middle of this situation,” but drew a pointed historical comparison to signal he expects the film to eventually emerge. He referenced the 2003 CBS cancellation of a drama about Ronald Reagan — shelved under Republican political pressure — before noting it later aired on a smaller channel, suggesting a similar path may still exist for his own film.
Amazon MGM Studios dropped “Artificial” on June 19, announcing it would not move forward with a planned early 2027 release. The studio said it believed the $40 million film would be “better served” by a different distributor, and framed the decision as a collaborative effort to find the movie a new home. The announcement came months after Amazon committed $50 billion to a strategic partnership with OpenAI — the company at the center of Guadagnino’s film. Amazon denied that the film’s subject matter or tone influenced its decision, even as insiders described the portrayal of CEO Sam Altman by Andrew Garfield as deeply unflattering, with Altman and Elon Musk emerging as the characters audiences would “like the least.”
Several distributors screened the film and passed — Focus Features, Warner Bros.’ Clockwork, A24, and Netflix all stepped away. Mubi and Neon remain the most active suitors, with Mubi seen as a natural fit given its existing relationship with Guadagnino.
The director used Friday’s interview to articulate why the film’s subject matter feels urgent to him. He described shooting in San Francisco — which he called “Hitchcock’s city” — and witnessing homeless people and fentanyl users on the streets as self-driving cars glided past them, calling that image “the perfect illustration of the theme” and “more than just disturbing.” He framed the central concern as a small tech oligarchy exercising “truly radical control” over the identity of the United States and the world.
Written by Simon Rich as a “Social Network” for the AI era, “Artificial” reconstructs the chaotic 2023 weekend when Altman was fired and rehired by OpenAI’s board within days. The ensemble includes Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, and Ike Barinholtz as Musk, alongside Mark Rylance, Jason Schwartzman, and Cooper Hoffman. A Venice Film Festival premiere is considered a possibility depending on which distributor ultimately acquires the film.
