Luca Guadagnino in talks to direct OpenAI drama ‘Artificial’

Hollywood isn't waiting around for the history books on artificial intelligence.

Luca Guadagnino is in talks to direct Artificial, a real-life feature film recounting the wild 2023 boardroom drama at OpenAI that saw CEO Sam Altman fired and rehired in just five days, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The project is being fast-tracked at lightning speed by Amazon MGM Studios. The studio is reportedly aiming to begin filming this summer, with shoots planned across San Francisco and Italy. Simon Rich penned the script and will produce alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford, with Jennifer Fox also in talks to produce.

Casting the boardroom coup

While no talent deals are officially locked in, actors are already circling key roles.

Andrew Garfield is being eyed to star as Sam Altman. Monica Barbaro, known for A Complete Unknown, is circling the role of former Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati. Meanwhile, Anora standout Yura Borisov is in talks to play OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who originally led the board revolt against Altman.

The movie marks a quick pivot for Guadagnino. The Italian filmmaker had been preparing to direct Sgt. Rock, a World War II action flick for DC starring Colin Farrell. However, DC recently hit pause on that project citing daylight issues. Ironically, Artificial could start rolling cameras before Sgt. Rock's original production date.

This would mark Guadagnino’s third project with Amazon MGM, following Zendaya-led Challengers and the upcoming thriller After the Hunt, which also stars Garfield and hits theaters on October 10.

Why it matters

Hollywood usually takes years to digest tech culture before putting it on film. It took six years after Facebook's founding for The Social Network to arrive, and Steve Jobs didn't get his big cinematic treatments until late in his career. In contrast, Amazon MGM is trying to put cameras on the OpenAI saga before the dust has even settled.

We think the casting instincts here are razor-sharp. Garfield playing Altman has the potential to deliver the exact brand of tense, high-strung corporate combat that made The Social Network iconic. But there is a glaring risk in rushing this to production so fast.

The OpenAI story isn't remotely finished. Since that five-day coup in late 2023, the board has completely transformed, Sutskever departed to launch Safe Superintelligence, and Murati walked out to build her own venture. The real-world rivalry among these exact three characters is happening right now in real time.

By rushing out a scripted film while the ink on the corporate contracts is still wet, Amazon MGM risks delivering a glossy, half-baked dramatization that could feel outdated the moment it hits theaters. But if Guadagnino can tap into the genuine paranoia and power dynamics driving the frontier AI race, it could become the definitive pop-culture artifact of the generative AI boom.