Andrew Garfield Says Amazon Dropping ‘Artificial’ Was Only Partly Surprising

Andrew Garfield says he was only partly surprised when Amazon MGM Studios dropped Artificial, the Luca Guadagnino-directed film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Speaking while promoting The Magic Faraway Tree, Garfield said Amazon supported the production but that the film ultimately found the right home with Neon. The independent studio acquired the nearly finished $40 million movie after Amazon decided it would be better released elsewhere.

Artificial, written by Simon Rich, tells the story of Altman's firing and reinstatement at OpenAI in 2023. Amazon's decision came after it entered a major partnership with OpenAI and invested billions of dollars in the company.

Garfield said he did not contact Altman while preparing for the role, relying instead on interviews, public appearances and news reports. He added that he would be interested in meeting Altman if the opportunity arose.

Co-star Cooper Hoffman said he was not surprised Amazon dropped the film, saying the move made sense given the circumstances. He welcomed Neon's acquisition and said he was pleased the studio plans to release the film.

The cast also includes Monica Barbaro, Yura Borisov, Mark Rylance, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Schwartzman, Zosia Mamet, Chris O'Dowd, Cooper Koch and Billie Lourd. Neon intends to campaign Artificial for this year's Academy Awards.