Amazon Exits 'Artificial' Biopic on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Amazon is no longer involved with "Artificial," the upcoming film based on events surrounding the life of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The tech giant has confirmed that the project will move to another studio despite having previously backed the production. In a statement to Puck, Amazon said it believes “that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the film-making team to find the film a new home”.

The decision comes shortly after Amazon and OpenAI expanded their business relationship earlier this year. According to OpenAI, Amazon will invest $15 billion in the company immediately, with a further $35 billion expected to follow once certain conditions are met. The companies had also entered into a cloud computing agreement valued at $38 billion last year.

While Amazon did not provide a specific reason for exiting the project, reports suggest the film does not portray Altman in a particularly favourable light.

“We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning film-maker – not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue,” Amazon added in its statement.

What we know about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s biopic Artificial

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Simon Rich, “Artificial” reportedly centres on the events surrounding Altman's brief removal and subsequent reinstatement as OpenAI chief executive in 2023. The film stars Andrew Garfield as Altman and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk. According to reports, the story places significant focus on OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, portrayed by Yura Borisov. Sutskever was among the OpenAI board members who voted to remove Altman as CEO in November 2023. Following Altman's return to the role less than a week later, Sutskever stepped down from the board.

The production completed filming last year and had reportedly been targeting a limited awards-season release before a wider rollout in 2027. The film also features Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Billie Lourd, Chris O'Dowd and Mark Rylance among others. Reports previously suggested that both Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Pictures had passed on Rich's script before Amazon acquired the project. Some reports cited concerns about the screenplay, while others disputed claims that the script had been widely offered to multiple studios.

Guadagnino's recent directing credits include After the Hunt, Challengers, Call Me by Your Name and Queer. The filmmakers are now seeking a new distributor for “Artificial” ahead of its planned release.