News: 0184001006

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Amazon Drops Sam Altman Movie After Announcing OpenAI Partnership (the-independent.com)

(Friday June 19, 2026 @11:30PM (BeauHD) from the well-well-well dept.)


Amazon MGM has [1]dropped Luca Guadagnino's nearly completed Sam Altman biopic Artificial and is seeking another distributor for the film. The move comes months after Amazon expanded its [2]multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI , fueling speculation about a potential conflict given the movie's reportedly unflattering portrayal of Altman. The Independent reports:

> [3]Artificial would have marked the Oscar-nominated Call Me By Your Name director's third Amazon film, following the critically acclaimed Zendaya-led tennis romance Challengers (2024) and the academic scandal drama After the Hunt (2025), starring Julia Roberts. The new movie is said to chronicle the brief period when Altman was abruptly ousted as OpenAI's CEO in 2023 and subsequently rehired. Monica Barbaro and Ike Barinholtz star alongside Garfield as former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, while Yura Borisov, Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Billie Lourd, Zosia Mamet, Angus Imrie, Chris O'Dowd, Mark Rylance and Margo's Got Money Troubles breakout Thaddea Graham round out the cast.

>

> It is unclear exactly why the film was dropped, but [4]according to Variety , the news came after it had already undergone positive screen tests. An early viewer told the publication that the film's portrayals of Altman and newly minted trillionaire Musk are the two characters audiences would "like the least." It was also reported that Amazon had already seen every early iteration of the script before Guadagnino was hired to direct. Altman and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have developed a high-profile friendship over the years. In fact, the former was in attendance at Bezos's wedding to Lauren Sanchez, which took place in Venice, Italy, in 2025. In recent months, the two have continued to deepen their professional partnership that began in 2015, when Amazon became one of OpenAI's first investors. Ten years later, the companies closed their first major deal [5]in November 2025 , allowing the ChatGPT maker to run its systems on Amazon's U.S. data centers.



[1] https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/sam-altman-biopic-amazon-openai-deal-b2999321.html

[2] https://slashdot.org/story/26/01/30/1221255/amazon-in-talks-to-invest-up-to-50-billion-in-openai

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_(upcoming_film)

[4] https://variety.com/2026/film/global/luca-guadagnino-sam-altman-movie-artificial-dropped-amazon-1236785830/

[5] https://slashdot.org/story/25/11/03/1448202/openai-signs-38-billion-cloud-deal-with-amazon


Amazon don't disappoint... (Score:1, Troll)

by Valgrus Thunderaxe ( 8769977 )

We have black Dwarves and a black Snape. I'm expecting a black Sam Altman.

Good? (Score:2)

by Disco Ninja ( 7135795 )

They see a conflict of interest then sell the almost completed film for presumably on the cheap. Oh, no! I would be concerned if they stopped production and buried the footage.

You must be joking. (Score:5, Insightful)

by battingly ( 5065477 )

"It is unclear exactly why the film was dropped,"

Are you serious? This is Amazon, where they make bold and critically acclaimed films such as "Melania".

Drop drop (Score:3, Insightful)

by dsgrntlxmply ( 610492 )

Euthanize the music industry garbage neologism "drop" meaning "release". "Drop" is for eggs, tools, courses in education, and Little Bobby Tables.

Re: Drop drop (Score:2)

by LindleyF ( 9395567 )

Except this usage is more Bobby Tables and less Taylor Swift.

Re: (Score:2)

by PPH ( 736903 )

I got that, after perusing TFS. But it's still a good reason to drop the dual usage. It's use in confusing situations should be sanctioned.

Give us a good deal, or else... (Score:2)

by whatdoibelieve ( 1622097 )

I see this as slightly problematic. We will make a movie that likely portrays you in a negative light and will be seen my millions if you don't give us a good deal. But once the deal is signed, the movie will go away quietly. Even if it isn't, it reeks of extortion.

Dropped? (Score:3, Insightful)

by Enigma2175 ( 179646 )

/., don't use "dropped" to mean released (for example, the recent story " [1]Android 17 Drops For Pixel Phones and Watch [slashdot.org]" while also using the same fucking word to mean "will not be carrying". If your job title is "Editor", try editing once in a while.

[1] https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/26/06/18/1733258/android-17-drops-for-pixel-phones-and-watch

These fucking people (Score:2)

by TheStatsMan ( 1763322 )

And I use that word very loosely.

So self-absorbed, so self-important...

We all know how this ends. It's just a question of when.

Boys, you have ALL been selected to LEAVE th' PLANET in 15 minutes!!