Topline
The future of a rumored-to-be-unflattering film about Open AI co-founder Sam Altman looks murky after Amazon, the movie’s original distributor, abruptly dropped it and other big-name options, like Netflix and Focus, are said to have also passed on the film.
Key Facts
Amazon backed out of its deal to distribute “Artificial,” a biopic about Altman, and said it would be “better served if it were released by a different studio” and sent the movie by Oscar-winning director Luca Guadagnino scrambling to find a new home.
The announcement comes months after Amazon, owned by Altman’s personal friend Jeff Bezos, said it would invest roughly $50 billion in OpenAI months after striking a different, $38 billion cloud computing deal.
The announcement comes months after Amazon, owned by Altman’s personal friend Jeff Bezos, said it would invest roughly $50 billion in OpenAI months after striking a different, $38 billion cloud computing deal.
Netflix reportedly passed on “Artificial” as has Focus Features, which is enjoying the success of record-breaking horror film “Obsession.”
There haven’t been any confirmed offers from other distributors but rumored candidates include cult-favorite machine A24, executives of which have reportedly screened the film, and streaming services Neon and Mubi.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ‘ARTIFICIAL?’
The film, described as a comedic drama rather than a straightforward corporate biopic, is about the OpenAI leadership crisis of November 2023, when co-founder Altman was unexpectedly fired as CEO and then reinstated just five days later. Andrew Garfield stars as Sam Altman and Open AI’s other founders Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever and Elon Musk are played by Cooper Hoffman, Yura Borisov and Ike Barinholtz, respectively. The film was written by Simon Rich, and Puck last year reported Warner Bros and Paramount both passed on the script over concerns it was “dull” before Amazon picked it up. Guadagnino, of “Call My. by Your Name” and “Challengers” fame, directed the film, which has become somewhat controversial since it was announced last year. The film is rumored to be an unflattering portrayal of Altman that casts Sutskever, one of the board members who ousted Altman as CEO, as the hero in the company’s story.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
What distributor picks it up. If the movie is indeed an unflattering portrayal of Altman, Hollywood companies have to weigh if its release is worth potentially alienating one of the most powerful people in tech. Which distributor ultimately takes the risk will also decide if it gets a wider theatrical rollout, a more limited release or the straight-to-streaming treatment.
TANGENT
Amazon was reportedly planning wide distribution of “Artificial” in early 2027 after a small theatrical release around Christmas so the film would qualify for the Oscars but avoid direct box-office competition with David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s, “The Social Reckoning” in theatres. The follow-up to 2010’s Facebook origin story “The Social Network,” the new film will star Jeremy Strong as founder Mark Zuckerberg—instead of original actor Jesse Eisenberg—and is scheduled for release in October.
Surprising Fact
Garfield also played Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in “The Social Network,” who was booted from the company by Zuckerberg.
Key background
OpenAI’s board abruptly fired Altman on Nov. 17, 2023 and said it had lost confidence in the leader because he was “not consistently candid” in his communications. At the same time, company co-founder Greg Brockman was removed as board chairman and he resigned in solidarity. The shocked tech world staged a sympathy rally for Altman, who received a huge outpouring of support from employees and investors, who pushed for his reinstatement. Within days, Microsoft announced Altman and Brockman would join the company to lead a new AI research group if they did not return to OpenAI—and hundreds of employees signed a letter threatening to quit and follow Altman to Microsoft unless the board resigned. On Nov. 21, OpenAI announced it reached an agreement to bring Altman back as CEO, restore Brockman, and replace most of the board that had orchestrated the coup.
FORBES VALUATION
Altman is worth an estimated $3.4 billion Monday to be the 1,246th richest person in the world. Zuckerberg is the seventh richest person in the world with $193.4 billion and Saverin, who has a small but valuable stake in Meta, is worth $31.3 billion.