Andrew Garfield Stars as Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’

Andrew Garfield is entering the world of artificial intelligence with Artificial, Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film about OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. The first trailer shows Garfield playing Altman and gives a glimpse of the crisis that shook OpenAI in November 2023.

The film focuses on the five days when Altman was removed as OpenAI’s CEO and then returned to the company. The incident became one of Silicon Valley’s biggest corporate controversies and raised questions about OpenAI’s leadership, its future and the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

Instead of being a typical biopic, Artificial looks more like a corporate thriller. The trailer shows Garfield’s Altman dealing with the growing power of AI while facing tensions inside the company. In one scene, his character says the technology has opened “Pandora’s box,” highlighting the risks and uncertainty surrounding the rapid growth of AI.

Andrew Garfield Plays Sam Altman

Garfield’s role in Artificial is interesting because he has played another famous figure from Silicon Valley before. He played Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in David Fincher’s The Social Network, a film about the creation of Facebook and the disputes between its founders.

For Artificial, Garfield did not meet Sam Altman personally to prepare for the role. Instead, he studied Altman through interviews, documents and other material related to the events at OpenAI.

Garfield stars alongside Yura Borisov, who plays OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, and Monica Barbaro, who plays Mira Murati. Ike Barinholtz plays Elon Musk. The film also features Mark Rylance, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Hoffman and Chris O’Dowd.

Luca Guadagnino Directs the Film

Guadagnino, known for Call Me by Your Name and Challengers, directs the film from a screenplay by Simon Rich. His involvement gives the project a different sensibility from a conventional Silicon Valley drama, with the trailer suggesting an emphasis on personalities, relationships and the psychological consequences of technological power.

The film’s own journey to the screen has also been unusual. Amazon MGM Studios was initially involved with the project but later dropped it after the company entered into a major partnership involving OpenAI. Neon subsequently acquired the film, adding another layer of real-world intrigue to a movie already centered on the company.

Artificial Release Date

Artificial will premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, 2026. Neon has planned a limited theatrical release for December 25, 2026, followed by a wider release in January 2027.

The film comes at a time when AI has quickly become part of everyday life. At the same time, there are growing debates about AI safety, regulation, jobs and who should control the technology.

With Andrew Garfield playing Sam Altman and Luca Guadagnino directing a story based on one of Silicon Valley’s biggest power struggles, Artificial is expected to attract a lot of attention. The film combines AI, corporate drama and personal conflicts, making it a timely story for a world that is changing rapidly because of artificial intelligence.