Amazon Studios has abandoned the OpenAI-themed movie *Artificial*, after previously investing approximately $40 million.

Deep Tide TechFlow news: On June 20, The New York Times reported that Amazon Studios will drop an upcoming film, Artificial, which is based on Sam Altman and his turbulent path to becoming OpenAI’s CEO. Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to invest $50 billion in OpenAI. In a statement released Friday, the company said the film would be “better suited” to be released by another studio, adding that it is working closely with the film’s production team to find a new home for the movie.

According to two people familiar with the film, Amazon’s decision came as a shock to the producers, who were informed of it on Tuesday. Before that, the Amazon team had been supporting the project, having invested about $40 million in it and already conducted test screenings in four markets, while working to confirm a release date. The report said the decision was made by Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. Amazon MGM Studios had originally planned to release the film in 2027.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the filmmaker behind Call Me by Your Name, the film was written by Simon Rich, a former cast member of Saturday Night Live. It focuses on Altman’s experience of being fired from OpenAI and then rehired. Andrew Garfield plays Altman, while Ike Barinholtz plays Elon Musk. The report said that no buyer has yet stepped in to take on the film.