Neon picked up Artificial after Amazon MGM Studios decided it would be better off with a different studio. That announcement came on the heels of a deal between Amazon and OpenAI, whose CEO is Sam Altman. In Artificial, Andrew Garfield plays Altman and the teaser trailer shows it will not take it easy on the controversial figure.
In addition to Andrew Garfield, the film stars Yura Borisov (Anora) as Ilya Sutskever, Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown) as Mira Murati, Ike Barinholtz (The Studio) as Elon Musk, and Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) as Geoffrey Hinton. Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd, Cooper Koch, and Billie Lourd also star.
Neon released this synopsis: “The film chronicles the incredibly consequential days leading up to the sudden firing and reinstatement of Sam Altman as CEO of OpenAI, as the fate of who gets to control the technology at the center of an AI arms race hangs in the balance.”
Artificial is scheduled to have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, followed by a screening at the London Film Festival. Neon has set a December 25, 2026 theatrical release in select theaters, with a wide release in January 2027.
Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name) directs from a screenplay by Simon Rich. Guadagnino, Rich, David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, and Jennifer Fox serve as producers. Guadagnino’s behind-the-scenes team includes editor Marco Costa, director of photography Malik Hassan Sayeed, production designer Stefano Baisi, and costume designer JW. The original score and songs were written by Damon Albarn.
