The first teaser trailer for Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial has been released, offering an early look at the biopic centered on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. After Amazon MGM Studios dropped the project in June, the film has found a new distributor in Neon, which plans a U.S. release on December 25 following an October premiere at the New York Film Festival.
Trailer Highlights Tension and Stakes
The teaser opens with Andrew Garfield, portraying Altman, descending a grand staircase into a basement lined with machine guns. Over ominous electronic music, Garfield delivers a chilling monologue that frames the narrative’s central conflict:
“The future’s inevitable,” says Altman as ominous electronic music plays. “Countries will fall. Industries are gonna collapse. And we get to be the ones to shepherd people into this new world.”
From Amazon to Neon: A Shifting Distribution Path
Amazon’s decision to step away from the project was announced earlier this summer. In a statement, the studio explained its reasoning:
“Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the film-making team to find the film a new home.”
Despite parting ways with the film, Amazon’s financial ties to OpenAI remain deep. The Jeff Bezos-owned company is set to invest up to $35 billion in the AI firm in the coming months, building on an initial $15 billion commitment.
On June 30, Neon confirmed it had acquired Artificial, adding the title to its awards-season slate. The film dramatizes the abrupt firing and subsequent reinstatement of Altman as OpenAI’s CEO amid a high-stakes power struggle over control of the technology.
Ensemble Cast Portrays Key Figures
The supporting cast features several notable actors portraying real-life Silicon Valley figures:
- Yura Borisov (Anora) as Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI co-founder
- Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk
- Monica Barbaro and Cooper Hoffman as Altman colleagues
- Jason Schwartzman, Chris O’Dowd, Zosia Mamet, Cooper Koch, and Billie Lourd in additional ensemble roles
Garfield on Portraying a Polarizing Figure
In a recent interview with Esquire, Garfield discussed the challenge of embodying a subject he has never met:
“I don’t know Sam Altman. I’ve never met him,” Garfield recently told Esquire. “But I think anyone who takes on that level of responsibility for a company or a technology that is going to do a hell of a lot of damage to the soul of humanity [must have] a certain ability to dissociate.”
Cooper Hoffman Reflects on Studio Shakeup
Cooper Hoffman, who appears in the film, shared his perspective on Amazon’s exit during a red carpet interview with Variety:
“I’m shocked they picked it up in the first place,” he said. “When they dropped it, it was kinda like, ‘Oh, yeah, that kinda actually makes sense,’ but then it got picked up by Neon, which I’m so happy about.”
Neon’s Awards-Season Track Record
Neon has established itself as a dominant force in recent awards seasons, shepherding films such as Parasite, Anatomy of a Fall, and Anora to Oscar success. This year’s slate also includes Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner Fjord, James Grey’s drama Paper Tiger, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden.
