Overview
- Amazon MGM Studios announced on Monday, June 22, 2026, that it has removed Luca Guadagnino’s film Artificial from its slate and is working with the filmmakers to find a new distributor.
- The film is a near‑finished, reported $40 million drama about OpenAI’s November 2023 leadership crisis starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman and featuring portrayals of other tech figures that trade reports call unflattering.
- Several major buyers screened the picture and declined to take it on, with industry reports naming Netflix, Focus Features, A24 and Warner/Clockwork among those that passed while independent distributors MUBI and Neon are said to be circling.
- Reports say Amazon executives watched a near‑final cut and flagged its darker tone compared with earlier expectations, though the studio’s public statement gave no reason and its February deal to invest roughly $50 billion in OpenAI has intensified questions about potential business influence.
- The withdrawal leaves the film’s awards plan in doubt and increases the likelihood the team will pursue a festival premiere such as Venice to reset timing and preserve awards-season hopes, while signaling greater studio caution about films that depict powerful tech companies and leaders.