The first official trailer for Andrew Garfield’s ‘Artificial’ arrived on Wednesday, featuring the actor as Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s OpenAI drama. Neon released the trailer ahead of the film’s October premiere. The movie explores OpenAI’s 2023 leadership crisis through a tense Hollywood interpretation. The story follows Altman’s sudden removal and return as CEO after five turbulent days.
Artificial will premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, 2026, in New York. Neon will bring the film to select US theaters on December 25. The release will expand across wider markets in January 2027. While Simon Rich takes care of the screenplay, Guadagnino lends his directorial mind to the film.
The trailer immediately creates an unsettling mood around artificial intelligence and Silicon Valley power. Garfield’s Altman walks through an upscale property before entering a heavily secured underground room. The space contains weapons and survival supplies, giving the teaser an unexpected thriller atmosphere.
Garfield’s voiceover connects ChatGPT with fears about AI transforming industries and reshaping society. The fictional Altman warns, “Countries will fall. Industries are gonna collapse, and we will be the ones to shepherd people.”
The plot focuses on the November 2023 crisis that shook OpenAI’s leadership structure. The board removed Altman before employees and investors pushed for his return. Monica Barbaro plays Mira Murati, who briefly took over as interim CEO during the crisis.
Yura Borisov portrays OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who played a key role in Altman’s removal. Ike Barinholtz appears as Elon Musk, while Mark Rylance portrays AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton. Cooper Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Chris O’Dowd and Zosia Mamet also join the cast.
Artificial also carries an unusual Hollywood story outside its plot. Amazon MGM dropped the project before Neon acquired worldwide distribution rights. The move followed Amazon’s major partnership and investment deal involving OpenAI.
Garfield returns to Silicon Valley drama after playing Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. Artificial now brings another major technology story to theaters through Guadagnino’s darker cinematic approach.
The film’s New York premiere will launch its awards-season campaign before the Christmas theatrical release. Its January expansion could turn Artificial into one of 2027’s most discussed technology dramas.
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