Neon buys ‘Artificial’, film about OpenAI after Amazon drops it

Indie film studio Neon has acquired “Artificial,” about Sam Altman and his rocky road to becoming CEO of OpenAI after Amazon’s film arm left him this month.

Neon will release the film, which features Andrew Garfield as Mr. Altman and Ike Barinholtz playing Elon Musk, later this year, according to a company press release Tuesday. Neon won worldwide rights in a bidding process led by Creative Artists Agency, a person familiar with the negotiations said.

The price of the transaction was not disclosed.

The deal is a reprieve for filmmakers who were shocked when Amazon told them it was going to sell a film that cost $40 million to make. Amazon’s MGM Studios greenlit the 2023 film and is backing it, The New York Times previously reported.

The Amazon studio held test screenings of the film this year and was set to announce plans to debut it at next year’s SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas.

Amazon also announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI this year. Amazon said in a statement this month that the film “would be better off released by another studio.”

“Artificial” was directed by Luca Guadagnino, creator of the 2018 Academy Award-nominated “Call Me by Your Name.” The film focuses on the firing and rehiring of Mr. Altman at OpenAI, one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence companies.

Neon is an independently funded studio with an international focus. She supported Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” the first non-English-language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020. Neon also won in 2025 for Sean Baker’s “Anora.” At this year’s Golden Globes, the studio received 21 film nominations.

“The acquisition underscores Neon’s commitment to working with visionary filmmakers and bringing ambitious cinema to audiences around the world,” the company said in a press release. “‘Artificial’ to compete in this year’s Oscar race.”

Mr. Guadagnino’s agents at CAA previously pitched “Artificial” to other potential distributors, including independent film companies such as A24 and Focus, along with Netflix and Warner Bros.’ a new special division, Clockwork.

One page of movie news described the film as “the social network”, but for the era of artificial intelligence, after a test screening.

Several other companies have bid for “Artificial,” including Mubi, an independent British streaming service, two people familiar with the process said. Mubi is backed by Sequoia Capital, one of OpenAI’s main investors.

“This opens a crack for Neon where they can now begin a formal relationship with talent,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. It also reinforces the studio’s image “as a user-friendly place for real artwork and artists.”

(The Times sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement of news content related to AI systems. OpenAI and Microsoft have denied the claims.)