Overview
- NEON released the first teaser for Artificial on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, and confirmed a world premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, a BFI London screening on October 11, a limited theatrical release on December 25 and expansion in January.
- The film stars Andrew Garfield as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and dramatizes the five‑day November 2023 episode when Altman was fired and then reinstated, with a large ensemble that includes Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman and Mark Rylance.
- Amazon MGM originally developed and financed the roughly $40 million production but announced in June that it would not release the nearly finished picture after Amazon struck a major partnership with OpenAI, a timing that has drawn industry and media scrutiny.
- Garfield has publicly said he is nervous about backlash for portraying Altman and that he based his performance on the script, interviews and court transcripts rather than personal meetings, which the creative team frames as an exploration of moral gray areas.
- Industry reporting says other distributors passed before NEON acquired worldwide rights, and the chosen festival and Christmas release strategy is designed to qualify the film for the 2027 awards season and shape early critical response.