Guadagnino Defends $40 Million 'Artificial' as Amazon Exits Amid $50 Billion OpenAI Tie-Up
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 27
Guadagnino Defends $40 Million 'Artificial' as Amazon Exits Amid $50 Billion OpenAI Tie-Up
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 27
Summary
Luca Guadagnino said he could not discuss Amazon MGM’s decision to drop “Artificial” because he is “right in the middle of this situation,” while signaling the film is still seeking distribution.
Amazon exited the Sam Altman drama months after striking a major OpenAI partnership that expanded AWS work and included a $50 billion investment, a tie-up that sharpened scrutiny of the film.
Guadagnino framed the episode as part of a longer pattern of commercial and political pressure, citing CBS’s 2003 cancellation of a Reagan drama before it later aired elsewhere.
He then widened the focus to AI itself, calling current systems flawed, resource-intensive tools that are reshaping social behavior and the identity of places like the United States.
Mubi is still circling the Andrew Garfield-led film, while Netflix, A24 and Focus have passed on the $40 million project that also features Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk.