Neon and Mubi remain in talks to distribute the OpenAI film Artificial

In short: The film Artificial, about Sam Altman’s 2023 exit and return at OpenAI, is still looking for a distributor after Amazon MGM walked away, with Neon and Mubi named as leading options.

What happened

Artificial is an upcoming biographical comedy-drama directed by Luca Guadagnino, written by Simon Rich, and starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman. The story focuses on Altman’s 2023 firing and quick reinstatement at OpenAI, and it includes portrayals of Elon Musk and other people connected to OpenAI.

Amazon MGM Studios was originally set to distribute the movie worldwide, with plans pointing to a US release in early 2027. In 2026, Amazon dropped the film while it was in late post-production, meaning the movie was close to finished.

Amazon said it believed the film would be a better fit with another studio and that it was helping the filmmakers find a new distributor. Reporting has noted the timing, since Amazon dropped the film shortly after announcing a $50 billion strategic deal with OpenAI to expand OpenAI’s use of AWS, which is Amazon’s cloud computing service (rented computer power over the internet, like paying for electricity instead of running your own generator).

Why it matters

This is a reminder that movies about powerful tech companies can be hard to place, especially when studios also do business with the same companies. For viewers, the distributor will affect when and where the movie is released, like which theaters carry it and which streaming service might get it.

As of the latest reporting, Neon has not confirmed a purchase. Neon is described as the only major studio still in active talks, and Mubi is also mentioned as a prospective buyer.

Source: NYTimes