Artificial Looks Like a Horror Movie in First Teaser for Sam Altman Biopic After Amazon Pulled the Plug

Neon has introduced the inaugural teaser for Luca Guadagnino's biopic on Sam Altman, titled Artificial, following Amazon's recent termination of financial backing for the film. With Guadagnino, known for his direction in Challengers, at the helm and a roster of high-profile talent, the teaser manages to surprise despite its brevity.

Spanning just over a minute, the trailer offers a suspenseful glimpse into Altman's life, leaning heavily into horror undertones. The video offers a peek behind the curtain into the events that paved the way for the creation of the contentious AI tool ChatGPT. In the teaser, Altman, portrayed by Andrew Garfield, is depicted traversing dark corridors, accompanied by eerie music, before entering a room illuminated by blue lights, which is laden with firearms.

This scene evokes a sense of dread reminiscent of a saferoom Altman mentioned he might have had in 2016, as discussed in The New Yorker. However, the horror is not solely visual; his character's dialogue adds to the tension, with lines such as "We opened Pandora's box together" and "We get to be the ones to shepherd people into this new world".

Garfield's portrayal closely resembles Altman, yet he is not the sole actor in the film. Monica Barbaro, recognized for her roles in A Complete Unknown and Top Gun: Maverick, plays the character of former OpenAI executive Mira Murati. Cooper Hoffman, known for The Long Walk, Yura Borisov from Anora, Jason Schwartzman from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Mark Rylance from Bridge of Spies, and Chris O Dowd from Bridesmaids also feature in Guadagnino's rendition of Altman's life.

The character that viewers might be particularly curious about is Ike Barinholtz's portrayal of Elon Musk, with quick glimpses of the Tesla founder scattered throughout the trailer, though they provide little insight into his character. Despite the star-studded cast and the talent involved, Artificial was on the brink of cancellation.

Amazon had previously been attached to the project but decided to withdraw its support in June 2026, just three months prior to the film's completion. The decision came after multiple private screenings of the nearly finished movie, leading to speculation and confusion among fans of Guadagnino's work. Amazon's withdrawal of Artificial also occurred shortly after the company announced a $50 billion investment in OpenAI.

After being dropped by Amazon, the film was eventually taken over by Neon, which is now planning to release it in select theaters on Christmas Day 2026.