I can’t say I’m surprised by this latest development. Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” a Sam Altman drama that recently and abruptly dropped from Amazon/MGM, was screened on Wednesday and Thursday for numerous studios.
Variety is now reporting that Focus Features, Warner Bros., A24, and Netflix have all passed on “Artificial,” which is already in a state of completion. However, Mubi is reportedly “pursuing the film,” with Neon also a possible contender.
The film, starring Andrew Garfield as Altman, has a $40M budget and was previously set for a SXSW premiere in 2027 before Amazon/MGM exited the project. It is said to portray Altman as a “pathological liar” and Elon Musk (Ike Barinholtz) as a villain.
The film could now be in play for the Venice Film Festival in September, a festival where Guadagnino has premiered five of his last seven movies.
Listen, you won’t get any confirmation from Amazon, just months after the company announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI, that they got rid of this film to appease its fellow tech conglomerates. The only official statement we are likely to get is Wednesday’s cryptic claim that the film would be “better served” at another studio.
My general assumption is that if “Artificial” had any kind of Oscar potential, then Amazon would not have offloaded it the way they did — no matter how much Altman doth protest. And since test screenings have been a total letdown, there is really no point in keeping it since it will neither break out at the box office or with critics.
The film has test screened in four different cities, including in April, which is when I posted a reaction. It is a timely dramatization of the AI boom, drawing frequent comparisons to “The Social Network,” but for the age of artificial intelligence.
The cut shown ran just under two and a half hours, generating mixed takes, with particular praise directed toward its performances and score. Viewers reportedly differed on Garfield’s interpretation, with some feeling the performance became increasingly exaggerated over time. Meanwhile, Jason Schwartzman and Cooper Hoffman were singled out as standout supporting players. Schwartzman, in particular, delivers a notable monologue warning about the dangers of uncontrolled AI development.
In case you’re too curious to wait, here’s the leaked teaser for Jeremy Saulnier’s “Slayground” that’s currently being shown in theaters, and it plays hard.