Major Hollywood studios have declined to distribute “Artificial,” Luca Guadagnino’s biographical drama about OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, in what critics describe as a troubling sign of the entertainment industry’s reluctance to produce critical stories about Big Tech.
Netflix, A24, Focus Features, and Warner Bros.’ Clockwork have all reportedly passed on acquiring the film, according to sources familiar with the situation. Only Neon and Mubi remain interested in distribution deals.
The logjam began when Amazon MGM unexpectedly announced last week that it would no longer distribute the movie, despite postproduction being nearly complete. Reports indicate Amazon had initially planned a short, Oscar-qualifying theatrical run later this year, with a wider release scheduled for early 2027 and a showing at the SXSW Film & TV Festival. Those plans have been abandoned.
Amazon has not given detailed reasons for dropping the film, telling Deadline only that it felt the project would be “better served if it were released by a different studio.” The decision follows Amazon’s US$50 billion (approximately £40 billion) investment in OpenAI earlier this year. Amazon has made clear its ambition to be a major player in the AI business, making it understandable why it might hesitate to release a film portraying an AI executive in a critical light.
“Artificial” was already drawing attention in the festival circuit for its unflinching portrayal of Altman and the company that became the face of the generative AI boom. The film’s distribution struggles raise broader questions about whether corporate entanglements between Hollywood and Big Tech are chilling the kinds of stories that get told on screen.
Sources: Hollywood is bending the knee to OpenAI (The Verge, June 24, 2026)