Major Studios Snub Luca Guadagnino's 'Artificial,' Mubi Eyeing Exclusive Deal
Luca Guadagnino's film "Artificial," depicting Sam Altman and OpenAI, is searching for a new distributor after Amazon MGM Studios abruptly dropped it. Major studios have passed due to its controversial subject matter, but Mubi is reportedly a strong suitor. The film, which features Andrew Garfield, is now eyeing a potential premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Luca Guadagnino's highly anticipated film, "Artificial," has found itself in a precarious position after Amazon MGM Studios abruptly dropped the project. Despite being nearly completed, the reported $40 million production, which stars Andrew Garfield as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, is now actively seeking a new distributor. Sources indicate that major studios such as Focus Features, Warner Bros.' Clockwork, A24, and Netflix have all passed on acquiring the film following private screenings orchestrated by CAA Media Finance, which represents Guadagnino.
The decision by Amazon MGM to walk away from "Artificial" comes just months after the company announced a significant $50 billion investment in OpenAI as part of a multi-year cloud partnership. While Amazon stated the film would be "better served" at another studio and denied that the subject matter drove their decision, the timing has raised eyebrows. "Artificial" is rumored to portray Altman as a pathological liar and Elon Musk (played by Ike Barinholtz) as highly antipathetic, themes that could make distributors, especially those with AI ambitions or existing tech entanglements, cautious. For instance, A24 is backed by Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital, a prominent OpenAI investor with a board seat.
Despite the challenges, "Artificial" is not without suitors. Variety has learned that Mubi is actively pursuing the film, with Neon also potentially circling. Mubi appears to be a natural fit, given its established relationship with Guadagnino, having released his Burroughs adaptation "Queer" internationally, handled U.K. theatrical for "Suspiria," and acquired worldwide rights to his short film "The Staggering Girl." Mubi also has a history of stepping in to rescue films, famously acquiring Coralie Fargeat’s "The Substance" after it was dropped by Universal, a move that led to Cannes recognition and five Oscar nominations. However, "The Substance" was a lesser financial risk and did not portray powerful real-life figures.
Written by "SNL" alum Simon Rich, "Artificial" is described as a "Social Network" for the AI era. It recounts the turbulent 2023 weekend when Altman was fired and subsequently rehired by OpenAI's board. The narrative initially focuses on co-founder Ilya Sutskever (Yura Borisov), the idealistic scientific mind behind OpenAI, before shifting to the intense boardroom power struggle. The film boasts a starry ensemble cast including Monica Barbaro as former CTO Mira Murati, alongside Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd, and Mark Rylance.
Currently in the final stages of post-production, "Artificial" had initially eyed a festival launch at SXSW before Amazon's withdrawal. If Mubi acquires the film, a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival is anticipated, a common platform for Guadagnino to unveil his works, including his recent film "After the Hunt." Like "The Apprentice," another controversial film about Donald Trump that struggled to find a distributor before being acquired by Briarcliff, "Artificial" holds the potential to become an Oscar contender.