Mubi Pursues Guadagnino's $40 Million 'Artificial' as Netflix, A24 and Focus Pass
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 21
Mubi Pursues Guadagnino's $40 Million 'Artificial' as Netflix, A24 and Focus Pass
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 21
Summary
Mubi has emerged as the main bidder for Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” after Netflix, A24, Focus Features and Warner Bros.’ Clockwork all passed on the nearly completed film.
Amazon MGM dropped the $40 million Sam Altman drama months after developing it for an early 2027 release, prompting CAA Media Finance to screen it for new buyers in recent days.
The caution reflects the film’s sensitive subject matter: it reportedly portrays Altman as a pathological liar and Elon Musk as deeply antipathetic while dramatizing OpenAI’s 2023 firing-and-rehiring crisis.
Neon is also said to be circling, and a sale could revive festival plans that shifted from a hoped-for SXSW launch toward Venice, where Guadagnino has frequently premiered films.