Amazon’s Movie Arm Abandons Film About OpenAI

Amazon’s Movie Arm Abandons Film About OpenAI

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/business/media/amazon-openai-artificial-movie-sam-altman.html

Publish Date: 2026-06-19 20:11:00

Source Domain: www.nytimes.com

Here are five key points summarizing the article:

– Amazon’s movie division, Amazon MGM Studios, is abandoning the film “Artificial,” which tells the story of Sam Altman’s tumultuous journey to become CEO of OpenAI.
– The decision, reportedly made by Mike Hopkins of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, surprised the filmmakers, as the project had already invested around $40 million, with intentions for a 2027 release, potentially premiering at SXSW.
– Amazon cited that “Artificial” would be “better served by a different studio” and is working with the filmmakers to find another home for the film.
– The project has had screenings in four test markets, and prominent figures like Neon, A24, Netflix, and Warner Bros’ Clockwork have considered distribution but have not yet picked it up.
– The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Simon Rich, stars Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, and it draws parallels to “The Social Network” in its depiction of Altman’s rise and fall at OpenAI.