Andrew Garfield stars as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman in Artificial, a film about the company’s 2023 leadership crisis.
Andrew Garfield will play OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman in a new film titled Artificial. The film centers on the period in November 2023 when Altman was removed as chief executive of the company and reinstated days later.
Artificial is directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Simon Rich. It is described as a biographical comedy-drama, and it dramatizes the events surrounding Altman’s firing and rehiring at the company behind ChatGPT. The film is a co-production of the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy.
The story covers a span of about five days. During that period in late 2023, OpenAI’s board removed Altman as chief executive, the company went through a rapid succession of interim leadership, staff signaled they would leave, and Altman returned to his role in a reversal of the board’s decision. The episode drew wide attention across the technology industry at the time.
Cast of the Sam Altman OpenAI Movie
Garfield leads a cast that portrays several real figures involved in the OpenAI events. Monica Barbaro plays Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer, who was named interim chief executive during the crisis. Yura Borisov plays Ilya Sutskever, the company’s chief scientist, who was a member of the board at the time. Cooper Hoffman plays Greg Brockman, the company’s president and board chairman.
The cast also includes Mark Rylance as the artificial intelligence researcher Geoffrey Hinton and Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, who was an early backer of OpenAI. Jason Schwartzman, Zosia Mamet, Chris O’Dowd, Cooper Koch and Billie Lourd appear in additional roles, rounding out an ensemble drawn from figures inside and around the company.
The film was made on a reported budget of about 40 million dollars. Cinematography is by Malik Hassan Sayeed, and the score is by Damon Albarn. Simon Rich wrote the screenplay, and Luca Guadagnino directed, following a run of recent feature films that have appeared on the festival circuit.
The events the film dramatizes unfolded quickly in November 2023. OpenAI’s board announced on November 17 that Altman was being removed as chief executive. Murati was named interim chief executive, and within days another interim appointment followed. A large number of OpenAI employees signed a letter warning they would leave the company unless the board resigned and Altman was reinstated. Microsoft, a major investor in OpenAI, was closely involved in the discussions that followed. Altman returned as chief executive within about five days, and the board was reconstituted.
Artificial Premiere and Release Date
The film’s distribution changed during its development. Artificial was initially set up with Amazon MGM Studios, which dropped the project in mid-2026. Neon then acquired worldwide distribution rights by the end of June 2026, taking the film to release.
Artificial is scheduled to have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, followed by a gala screening at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11. A wider theatrical release is expected in late 2026, with the two festival appearances serving as its launch.
The film arrives at a time when artificial intelligence has become a central subject of public and industry discussion. OpenAI is among the most prominent companies in the field, and the 2023 leadership crisis was one of the most closely followed corporate stories of that year. The film dramatizes those events as they played out among the company’s executives, board members and staff.
The project has drawn attention ahead of its release for its cast and its subject. Garfield is taking on the role of one of the most recognized figures in the technology sector, and the supporting cast portrays a range of real people connected to the company. The combination of the subject matter, the director and the ensemble has placed the film among the more closely watched releases scheduled for the end of the year.
The film’s festival premiere in October will be its first public screening, ahead of the planned theatrical run later in 2026.
