Amazon Pulls Sam Altman Film 'Artificial' After $50 Billion OpenAI Investment

Amazon pulled its nearly completed film 'Artificial' about Sam Altman from its release schedule late Thursday, with the decision made by Mike Hopkins, who oversees Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. Hopkins informed director Luca Guadagnino and the producing team that Amazon would not proceed with the planned release and is now shopping the film to other distributors. The move follows Amazon's $50 billion investment into OpenAI, and a person familiar with Amazon's thinking said the finished film's tone grew considerably darker than the original pitch, prompting Hopkins to halt its release after viewing a cut.

Film Details and Cast

The film, written by Simon Rich, stars Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman and Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever. The story covers Altman's brief 2023 ouster as OpenAI CEO and has drawn comparisons to 'The Social Network,' the Facebook founding drama. Media publication Puck reported that an early script depicted Altman unflatteringly, portraying him as power-hungry and manipulative. In one scene, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton called Altman 'one of the most manipulative people on the planet.'

Amazon Confirms Decision to Seek New Distributor

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the decision to media publication Puck late Thursday. '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,' the spokesperson stated. '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.' Creative Artists Agency is now screening the film for potential new distributors.

Amazon's $50 Billion OpenAI Investment Context

The decision to pull the film comes months after Amazon invested $50 billion into OpenAI. The source noted that Sam Altman has cultivated close ties to the Trump administration, relationships that Amazon and founder Jeff Bezos have also sought to maintain.

FAQ

Why did Amazon pull the Sam Altman film 'Artificial' from release?

Amazon pulled the film late Thursday after Mike Hopkins, who oversees Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, viewed a cut. A person familiar with Amazon's thinking said the finished film's tone grew considerably darker than the original pitch. The decision also follows Amazon's $50 billion investment into OpenAI.

What is the film 'Artificial' about?

The film, written by Simon Rich and directed by Luca Guadagnino, covers Sam Altman's brief 2023 ouster as OpenAI CEO. It stars Andrew Garfield as Altman and Yura Borisov as OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever. An early script reportedly depicted Altman unflatteringly, portraying him as power-hungry and manipulative.