Amazon Abandons Sam Altman Biopic Post $50B OpenAI Partnership
In a development that has stunned both Hollywood and Silicon Valley, Amazon MGM Studios has abandoned its nearly finished film “Artificial” — a dramatization of the tumultuous 2023 OpenAI leadership crisis — mere months after pledging $50 billion to a comprehensive strategic partnership with OpenAI.
The film, helmed by Oscar-nominated Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Challengers), features Andrew Garfield as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, and Monica Barbaro as former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Penned by SNL alum Simon Rich, the film focuses on the volatile five-day span in November 2023 when Altman was dismissed by OpenAI’s board and then reinstated. The project had already undergone several successful test screenings and was slated for an awards-season release this Christmas, followed by a wide release in early 2027.
Amazon confirmed the withdrawal in a statement, expressing their belief that “Artificial” would be better served if it were launched by a different studio. They are currently seeking a new home for the film. Insiders familiar with the film told Puck — the first to break the story — that the final cut’s tone was “significantly darker” than the original pitch, portraying Altman and Musk as the least sympathetic characters. The timing is hard to overlook: Amazon announced a $15 billion initial investment in OpenAI in February, with up to $35 billion more to follow, while also designating AWS as the exclusive third-party cloud provider for OpenAI Frontier. Amazon has not publicly connected the two decisions.
The film is now being actively marketed to other distributors, with CAA overseeing the search. Its asking price is reportedly $50 million.
Source: The Washington Times