Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming AI drama Artificial faces an uncertain future after Amazon MGM Studios unexpectedly dropped the project on 19 June. According to Variety, several major buyers that were reportedly considering the film have now stepped away.

The outlet reports that Focus Features, Warner Bros.’ Clockwork, A24, and Netflix have all passed on acquiring the film. A24 counts Josh Kushner’s Thrive Capital among its backers. Thrive holds a board seat at the studio and stands as one of OpenAI’s largest investors. Independent distributor MUBI remains interested, and Neon is reportedly considering a bid as well.

Currently in the final stages of post-production, Artificial examines the rise of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, while exploring the rivalries, power struggles, and ethical conflicts that unfolded behind the scenes.

Andrew Garfield stars as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with Yura Borisov playing machine learning engineer Ilya Sutskever, and Ike Barinholtz portraying Elon Musk. The ensemble cast also includes Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, and Mark Rylance. Simon Rich (An American Pickle, FXX’s Man Seeking Woman) wrote the screenplay.

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The $40 million production has reportedly been screened for prospective distributors over the past few days as producers seek a new home following Amazon’s exit. The studio’s decision comes only months after Amazon announced plans to invest $50 billion in OpenAI.

Early reports suggest the film is considerably darker in tone than originally expected. Variety also reports that rumours surrounding the project point to unflattering portrayals of both Altman and Musk.

Whichever company acquires the film may ultimately determine its festival prospects. A premiere at the Venice Film Festival is a strong possibility, particularly if MUBI secures the rights.

Such a move would make sense given Guadagnino’s long-standing relationship with the festival. Several of the filmmaker’s projects have debuted on the Lido, including his most recent feature, After the Hunt, making Venice a likely destination for Artificial should MUBI come aboard.

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