The first trailer for the upcoming biopic Artificial, starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, has been released, offering a glimpse into the film’s portrayal of OpenAI’s turbulent leadership changes in 2023. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the project has drawn attention for its timing and subject matter, coinciding with ongoing debates about AI governance and corporate leadership.
Garfield’s portrayal centers on Altman’s firing and reinstatement within days at OpenAI in November 2023, a period marked by internal conflict and public scrutiny. The trailer features Garfield delivering a voice-over that references the broader implications of AI development, including his character’s assertion that "the future’s inevitable" and that "countries will fall." The footage also includes a scene depicting Altman’s alleged doomsday bunker, lined with weapons and supplies, a detail tied to Altman’s past public statements about personal preparedness.
The film’s production faced delays after Amazon MGM Studios dropped the project shortly after announcing a $50 billion deal with OpenAI. Following months of unsuccessful distribution negotiations with major studios, including Netflix, A24, and Warner Bros, the rights were ultimately acquired by Neon, the independent studio behind Parasite. Garfield, who also stars in The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood, has not publicly commented on the film’s reception beyond a post-screening remark in which he stated he hoped "if any billionaires watch it, they're scared s***less."
Altman’s personal preparedness and public statements
Altman has previously acknowledged owning survival supplies, including firearms, gold, and medical equipment, though he has downplayed the scale of these preparations. In a 2016 New Yorker profile, he described owning "guns, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, gas masks from the Israeli Defense Force, and a big patch of land in Big Sur." During a 2023 Wall Street Journal interview, he clarified that his preparations were not extensive, stating, "I have like structures, but I wouldn’t say a bunker." In a 2025 interview with comedian Theo Von, Altman reiterated a similar stance, though the exact wording was not disclosed in the available reporting.
The trailer also introduces a fictionalized confrontation between Garfield’s Altman and Ilya Sutskever, played by Yura Borisov, who co-led the effort to remove Altman from OpenAI in 2023. The film’s narrative appears to dramatize the power struggle within the company, though no official synopsis has been released.
Production challenges and industry reaction
The film’s troubled development has been noted in trade coverage, with reports highlighting the challenges of securing a distributor amid shifting industry dynamics. The trailer’s release has sparked mixed reactions online, with some viewers questioning the necessity of a biopic centered on Altman’s brief tenure change. Others have drawn comparisons to Garfield’s prior role as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network, another tech industry biopic.
Guadagnino, known for films like Call Me by Your Name and Suspiria, has not publicly detailed his creative approach to the project, though the trailer suggests a blend of drama and speculative fiction. The film is scheduled for theatrical release following Garfield’s current project, The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood, which opens this weekend.