- A film based on the coup against OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman is reportedly in the works. While no deals have been signed, Andrew Garfield is said to be the leading contender to play Altman. The film would be directed by Luca Guadagnino.
When Sam Altman was kicked out of OpenAI, it didn’t last long. Within five days, the co-founder of the artificial-intelligence giant was back in charge. But the drama surrounding that attempted coup is the sort of stuff Hollywood lives for.
Now, Amazon-owned MGM is reportedly fast-tracking a film about the events called Artificial. The Hollywood Reporter says that while nothing has been officially green-lit, the hope is that production will begin as early as this summer. Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Challengers) is being eyed to direct the film—and while no actors have been signed, pending Guadagnino’s deal closing, Andrew Garfield is the odds-on favorite to play Altman.
Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown) is rumored to be in line to portray Mira Murati, and Anora actor Yura Borisov would play Ilya Sutskever.
There could be as much drama offscreen as on with this film. Amazon has invested heavily in Anthropic, an OpenAI rival, which will have onlookers combing the frames for any perceived corporate bias.
Altman was abruptly kicked out of OpenAI on Nov. 17, 2023 in an effort led by Sutskever. Murati was named interim CEO, but relinquished that role soon after to Emmett Shear. Altman formally returned on Nov. 22, with Sutskever, Helen Toner, Tasha McCauley removed from the board.
Sutskever and Murati have since left OpenAI to launch their own artificial-intelligence companies.