Amazon MGM has dropped Luca Guadagnino's film 'Artificial' about Sam Altman and the OpenAI CEO drama, and is seeking a new distributor.
<figure>
<img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/STK201_SAM_ALTMAN_CVIRGINIA2D_717b98.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" />
<figcaption>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="has-text-align-none">Luca Guadagnino's film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, <em>Artificial</em>, has reportedly been dropped by Amazon MGM. </p>
<p class="has-text-align-none">The film, which stars Andrew Garfield and covers the rollercoaster five days in 2023 spanning Altman's termination and reinstatement as CEO, had been in the works for <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/luca-guadagnino-to-direct-openai-movie-1236236357/">about a year</a>. The cast also includes <em>A Complete Unknown</em> actress Monica Barbaro as OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, and <em>Anora</em>'s Yura Borisov as OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.</p>
<p class="has-text-align-none">In a statement to <em><a href="https://deadline.com/2026/06/luca-guadagnino-artificial-amazon-jeff-bezos-1236962694/">Deadline</a></em>, the studio said it believes the movie "will be better served if it were released by a different studio and is working closely with the filmmak …</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/952906/sam-altman-film-artificial-openai-amazon-mgm-dropped">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# The film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGM
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/952906/sam-altman-film-artificial-openai-amazon-mgm-dropped](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/952906/sam-altman-film-artificial-openai-amazon-mgm-dropped)
[](https://www.theverge.com/authors/hayden-field)
Hayden Field
is The Verge’s senior AI reporter\. An AI beat reporter for more than five years, her work has also appeared in CNBC, MIT Technology Review, Wired UK, and other outlets\.
Luca Guadagnino’s film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman,*Artificial*, has reportedly been dropped by Amazon MGM\.
The film, which stars Andrew Garfield and covers the rollercoaster five days in 2023 spanning Altman’s termination and reinstatement as CEO, had been in the works for[about a year](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/luca-guadagnino-to-direct-openai-movie-1236236357/)\. The cast also includes*A Complete Unknown*actress Monica Barbaro as OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, and*Anora*’s Yura Borisov as OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever\.
In a statement to*[Deadline](https://deadline.com/2026/06/luca-guadagnino-artificial-amazon-jeff-bezos-1236962694/)*, the studio said it believes the movie “will be better served if it were released by a different studio and is working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home\.”*[Puck](https://puck.news/amazon-is-dumping-its-sam-altman-movie/)*first reported the studio’s decision not to release the film\.
Amazon and OpenAI also have close ties, with Amazon in February announcing a $50 billion investment in the AI lab\.
**Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\.
- Hayden Field
The article reports that major Hollywood studios have declined to distribute Luca Guadagnino's film 'Artificial' about Sam Altman's ouster from OpenAI, following Amazon MGM's withdrawal, raising concerns about Big Tech's influence on critical storytelling.
Luca Guadagnino's new comedy-drama 'Artificial' skewers OpenAI's founders and the AI boom's key players, offering a darkly comic warning about the technology's dangers amid real-world controversy over Amazon dropping the film after its OpenAI deal.
Luca Guadagnino's satirical film 'Artificial,' starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, premiered at the New York Film Festival and delivers a damning portrayal of the OpenAI CEO's rise to power, closely following real events surrounding OpenAI's founding and his brief ouster.
Filmmaker Jorge Gutierrez withdraws from Amazon MGM Studios' AI-generated series project after public backlash, apologizing for upsetting artists and concerns over AI in animation.
OpenAI's board of directors has removed Sam Altman as CEO, citing a lack of candor in his communications with the board. CTO Mira Murati has been appointed interim CEO while a search for a permanent successor is underway.