Guadagnino discusses Amazon pull of AI biopic Artificial

Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has publicly addressed the fallout surrounding his nearly completed biopic, "Artificial," after Amazon MGM Studios dropped the film last week. The director, speaking on the Italian news program "Otto e Mezzo" on Friday, said he could not discuss the specifics of the situation but framed it as part of a recurring pattern of industrial and political pressures in entertainment.

The film, starring Andrew Garfield as OpenAI founder Sam Altman and featuring a reported $40 million budget, was abruptly removed from Amazon's release slate on June 19. The studio had planned an early 2027 release with a potential premiere at the SXSW festival next spring. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson expressed respect for Guadagnino and said the company believed the film "will be better served if it were released by a different studio," adding they were working to find it a new home.

When asked why the subject matter was perceived as dangerous, Guadagnino declined to elaborate, stating, "Unfortunately, I can't say much because we are right in the middle of this situation." He then drew a parallel to the 2003 cancellation of the CBS miniseries "The Reagans" following...