Both Netflix and Focus Features have passed on acquiring Luca Guadagnino‘s Artificial movie after the nearly-completed film was abruptly dropped by Amazon MGM Studios, sources have confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, A24 is said to have screened the film but its standing in the race to acquire the Sam Altman–OpenAI comedic drama remains unclear.
Focus, Netflix and A24 could not be reached for comment. Additionally, fellow indies Mubi and Neon have not yet responded to THR‘s requests for comment following a report they were pursuing the film.
Amazon MGM Studios confirmed Friday that it would not be releasing the movie, the casting for which — Andrew Garfield as Altman and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk — has already made headlines.
“We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning filmmaker — not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue,” a spokesperson for Amazon told THR.
“We believe that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home.”
Reports, originating in Puck on Friday, said the decision came from Amazon MGM Studios boss Mike Hopkins, who relayed the news to Guadagnino and the film’s producers. The move, as Guadagnino is said to have almost completed work on the film, comes just a few months after news broke that Amazon would invest $50 billion in OpenAI as part of a multi-year strategic partnership.
The film has been described as a Social Network-esque feature that covers the tumultuous 2023 period in which Altman, amid AI safety concerns and reports of abusive behavior, was fired and rehired by OpenAI within a matter of days. The cast also includes Anora breakout Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who reportedly led the movement to get rid of Altman, as well as Monica Barbaro, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Hoffman, Mark Rylance, Cooper Koch, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd, Will Angus, Thaddea Graham, Nicholas Hamilton, Angus Imrie and Will Price.
Test screenings of Artificial have received a “warm reception,” Puck reported, but the movie’s depictions of Altman and Musk are not seen as entirely flattering.
Altman was among the high-profile guests at Jeff Bezos’ star-studded wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice last year.
Amazon MGM has released past Guadagnino films After the Hunt and Challengers and MGM and Amazon separately distributed Bones and All and Suspiria, respectively. Guadagnino’s also had films released by Sony Pictures Classics (Call Me by Your Name) and A24 (Queer).
Artificial, written by Simon Rich, is being produced by Rich, Guadagnino, Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford and Jennifer Fox.
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