Neon recently unveiled an initial snapshot from Andrew Garfield’s upcoming film, Artificial, where he portrays OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
The dramatic film has stirred quite a bit of debate in recent times. Originally, Amazon MGM Studios was set to distribute Artificial, but after announcing a massive $50 billion partnership with OpenAI earlier this year, the studio decided to no longer handle the film’s release.
After several media companies opted not to distribute the movie, Neon stepped in to take over. Artificial is scheduled to debut at the New York Film Festival’s (NYFF) Main Slate on October 5 at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.
With the premiere just a month away, Neon has released a promotional image from the film showing Garfield as Altman and Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of OpenAI. The photo captures the two characters sitting at a table, cheerfully lifting shot glasses, likely in a celebratory toast for their new venture. See the image below:
The film festival will take place from September 25 to October 12. Festival passes are currently on sale in limited quantities, with individual tickets available from September 15 at 12 p.m. EDT.
Other films included in the NYFF’s Main Slate are Paper Tiger, Behemoth!, 14th, 9 Temples to Heaven, All of a Sudden, Bitter Christmas, Clarissa, Dao, Fatherland, and The Unknown.
Artificial spans two decades, tracing the journey of Sutskever, originally a Google employee, as he meets Altman, an entrepreneur. Together, along with Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and others, they founded the artificial intelligence company OpenAI. The narrative reaches a climax in 2023 when Altman is ousted by the board, prompting protests from hundreds of employees, only for him to be reinstated as CEO days later.
Joining Garfield in the cast are Borisov, Mark Rylance, Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman, Ike Barinholtz, Jason Schwartzman, and Chris O’Dowd. The film was directed by Luca Guadagnino of Call Me By Your Name fame, from a screenplay by Simon Rich.
Garfield is seasoned in portraying significant figures in the tech industry, having played Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher’s 2010 film The Social Network, which was a critical and commercial success, earning $224.9 million and three Oscars.
Garfield’s most notable roles include playing Peter Parker/Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man series and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He has also starred in Hacksaw Ridge, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Tick, Tick… Boom!, and Under the Banner of Heaven.
Returning to the realm of tech-centric biopics, Garfield steps into the shoes of Sam Altman in Artificial, aligning with the current global focus on AI and data centers, especially amidst the bustling U.S. midterm elections, making it a timely addition to this year’s NYFF.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
