Months after Amazon deepened its ties with OpenAI, Amazon MGM Studios has dropped plans to release Luca Guadagnino’s star-studded movie about Sam Altman and the leadership crisis that nearly toppled him.
“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,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
Directed by “Call Me by Your Name” filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, “Artificial” is a retelling of the tumultuous few days during which Altman was abruptly fired from and then quickly reinstated at OpenAI.
Altman was ousted from the company on November 17, 2023, in a move many in the tech community likened to a “coup.” Five days later, OpenAI announced an agreement had been reached for Altman’s return as CEO. In recent months, evidence presented in the Musk v. Altman trial has offered further insight into what went down during those chaotic few days.
OpenAI and Guadagnino did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
An all-star cast
The startup saga was adapted into a screenplay by former “Saturday Night Live” writer Simon Rich, and the movie features an all-star cast, including Andrew Garfield as Altman, as well as Cooper Koch and Mark Rylance.
Director Guadagnino, who received an Oscar nomination in 2018, said filming had wrapped by October 2025. He had previously worked with Amazon MGM Studios on movies such as “Challengers.”
“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 Amazon spokesperson said in the statement.
The move to drop “Artificial” comes a little over three months after Amazon announced a $50 billion investment and sweeping cloud partnership with OpenAI in late February.
At the time, Amazon said the investment was part of a “multi-year strategic partnership to accelerate AI innovation for enterprises, startups, and end consumers around the world.”
Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studio’s big bet on a movie about another high-profile figure didn’t exactly pay off.
The company paid $40 million for the rights to distribute “Melania,” the highest amount ever paid for a commissioned documentary. It also paid an additional $35 million on marketing and its theatrical release.
The documentary about the first lady, Melania Trump, was released in January 2026. It flopped with critics and failed to break even at the Box Office. Business Insider’s Peter Kafka described it as “not a good movie” and “a gift from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to the Trump administration.”
