The decision by Amazon/MGM to drop Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” has resulted in all kinds of speculation around Hollywood. Yet perhaps the only speculation worth pondering is a simple question: Is the movie any good?
The film has test-screened and has also been shown to potential buyers. Netflix, A24, Warner Bros., and Focus Features all decided against acquiring it. Mubi has shown interest, and I’m hearing that on Monday it came very close to sealing a deal before ultimately backtracking. The company reportedly lowered its bid after reports emerged that other studios had passed on the acquisition.
According to Page Six Hollywood’s sources, “there wasn’t some grand conspiracy at work,” but rather Amazon/MGM’s decision to get rid of the film came down to a “question of taste,” with some “simply not liking” Guadagnino’s latest.
The report goes on to quote numerous buyers who attended the hush-hush screenings last Wednesday and Thursday, which were cloaked in a level of secrecy they claimed not to have seen before. “It’s nuts,” one source told Page Six.
As for what those who attended the ultra-secret screenings thought of the film, the reactions were reportedly “mixed.” One executive said his deputies were so unimpressed that the film was never even considered, while another seasoned source called it “excellent.” Another exec labeled Guadagnino a “hit-or-miss filmmaker.”
According to Puck’s Matt Belloni, one of the potential buyers told him, "It is grim. It is dark. It goes there, and makes you feel bad after watching it about the future of the human race."
“I hear that the first hour is very slow, but the second hour is very strong, and the movie paints an image that the world might be doomed,” said another source.
I’m hearing that the film’s producers are targeting a 2026 festival premiere for “Artificial,” which means a splashy debut at the Venice Film Festival could very well be in the cards, even if the film hasn’t secured a buyer by then.
Back in January, at the Sundance Film Festival, a bidding war emerged over Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite.” A24, Netflix, Searchlight, Focus Features, and NEON among the studios in the mix.