Amazon Cancels Release of Guadagnino's 'Artificial' Film

WHO:

Variety - Monica Barbaro plays former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Yura Borisov portrays former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, and Ike Barinholtz takes on the role of Elon Musk in "Artificial."

Variety - Luca Guadagnino is the filmmaker of the movie "Artificial."

Variety - Andrew Garfield stars as Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI.

Variety - The cast includes Monica Barbaro, Yura Borisov, Ike Barinholtz, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Angus Imrie, Chris O’Dowd, and Mark Rylance.

WHAT:

Variety - The film "Artificial" was screened for other studios on Thursday prior to being dropped by Amazon.

Variety - An insider reported that the characters of Altman and Musk are perceived as the least sympathetic by audiences.

Variety - Amazon MGM Studios has dropped the release of the nearly finished film "Artificial."

Variety - The film will be shopped to other studios after being dropped.

Variety - Amazon made a $50 billion investment in OpenAI as part of a partnership to expand OpenAI’s use of Amazon Web Services.

WHERE:

Variety - The film "Artificial" was produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

WHEN:

Variety - The partnership between Amazon and OpenAI was established in February.

WHY:

Variety - Amazon stated that "Artificial" would be better served if released by a different studio.

Deadline - Amazon expressed respect and admiration for Guadagnino and hopes to continue their longstanding relationship.

HOW:

Variety - The film had several test screenings that were positively received before being dropped by Amazon.

Variety - Amazon had seen all early iterations of the script prior to Guadagnino joining the project.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 16:00 UTC)

The film "Artificial," featuring Monica Barbaro as former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Yura Borisov as former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, was recently screened for other studios after Amazon decided to drop it. Despite several test screenings that received positive feedback, insiders noted that the characters based on Altman and Musk are viewed as the least sympathetic by audiences. The film's journey continues to unfold as it seeks new opportunities in the industry.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 12:20 UTC)

Amazon MGM Studios has decided to drop the nearly finished film "Artificial," directed by Luca Guadagnino and featuring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The studio plans to shop the film to other studios, believing it would be better served in the hands of a different distributor, despite having received positive feedback from test screenings. Amazon, which made a significant $50 billion investment in OpenAI earlier this year, expressed respect for Guadagnino and hopes to maintain their longstanding relationship.