Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’ Set to Skip Fall Festivals

Another update on Luca Guadagnino’s much-talked-about “Artificial,” which, according to Deadline, is expected to entirely skip the fall festivals.

According to sources, there have been “multiple A-list festivals” interested in “Artificial,” but Neon has decided that this is not the right route for the completed film.

Neon is expected to release “Artificial” this fall and has said it will mount an Oscar campaign for the film. Sources close to the movie claim that the indie studio is “bullish” on its awards prospects, believing it “should at least feature in the awards conversation.”

We recently learned that Amazon/MGM essentially sold “Artificial” to Neon for nothing, with the understanding that Neon would be responsible for covering marketing and distribution (P&A), estimated at around $20 million.

“Artificial” follows Ilya Sutskever (played by Yura Borisov), the idealistic, slightly naïve brain behind the OpenAI operation, and, of course, Sam Altman, played by Andrew Garfield, who connives his way to the top. The rest of the cast includes Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Rylance, and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk.

Quite the turnaround in buzz when it comes to this project. A year ago, when it was being shopped around to studios, Puck’s Matt Belloni reported that the project had bounced around Hollywood for months, with the script being passed on by major studios, including Warner Bros. and Paramount, and some executives calling it “dull.” Once the film was acquired by Amazon/MGM, it went over budget, required reshoots, and was eventually shipped off to Neon—for free.

Guadagnino is coming off “After the Hunt,” also produced by Amazon/MGM, which was released last fall and met with derisive reviews from critics. His previous credits include “I Am Love,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “Challengers,” “Queer,” “Bones and All,” and “Suspiria.”

If I were to place a bet, I’d put “Artificial” in November. That release window would give Neon ample runway for an awards campaign while capitalizing on late-season momentum without the need for a festival launch.