Luca Guadagnino's 'Artificial' draws strong early reactions

Luca Guadagnino’s film “Artificial” is one of the big tech stories of the 2026 movie season. The movie centers on OpenAI founder Sam Altman and stars Andrew Garfield in the lead role. It was written by Simon Rich and produced by Rich, Guadagnino, David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, and Jennifer Fox.

The film was first set up at Amazon MGM, but the studio later dropped it after finishing the movie. Neon then picked it up and is planning to release it in theaters on Christmas Day, along with an Oscar campaign.

“Artificial” premiered on Monday, October 5, at the New York Film Festival. Early reactions have been positive, with people praising its satirical tone. Many also said the movie is funny but still unsettling in the way it looks at an AI-driven future.

The film is already getting attention as one of the fall season’s most talked-about releases. Neon will open it in theaters on Friday, December 25.