Ike Barinholtz will portray Elon Musk in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film “Artificial,” a drama centered on the 2023 OpenAI crisis.
Produced by Amazon/MGM, the film explores the turbulent series of events surrounding the brief firing and swift reinstatement of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It’s being described as a behind-the-scenes look at the internal power struggles, boardroom tensions, and broader implications for the future of artificial intelligence and corporate governance.
Barinholtz, known for his roles in “The Mindy Project” and “Blockers,” will no doubt be bringing his usual satirical edge to Musk, who is depicted as a supporting character in the tech drama. In the script, he has a total of five scenes.
The screenplay, penned by Simon Rich, portrays Musk as an "early OpenAI investor turned bitter rival." His character attempts to merge OpenAI with Tesla and withdraws his funding when rebuffed. Despite his limited screen time, Musk's portrayal could provide comic relief, not to mention tackle the power dynamics inherent in the tech industry.
Musk in “Artificial” is described as “comic relief” and “mild antagonist.” He’s more preoccupied with his glitchy self-driving Tesla than with the looming threat of runaway A.I. Musk, who’s as well known for his love of movies as he is for his legal skirmishes, probably won’t be thrilled with this portrayal. At one point in the script, OpenAI VP Mira Murati quips, “Elon’s not so bad, as far as dictators go.”
Production for “Artificial” has already begun in Italy, with a planned release in 2026. Guadagnino, acclaimed for his work on “Call Me by Your Name” and “Challengers,” is a curious director to tackle this story, but it could work. He only hopped on-board this project after his “Sgt. Rock” movie, which was supposed to shoot this summer, got canned by DC Studios’ James Gunn.
The ensemble cast for “Artificial” includes Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, and Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever. Production is set to wrap in August.