Hollywood is experiencing a noticeable chill when it comes to projects that critique powerful figures in the artificial intelligence sector, with major studios reportedly hesitant to greenlight films that portray AI billionaires unfavorably. This reluctance stems from billions of dollars in investments and partnerships between Hollywood studios and AI giants.
The Luca Guadagnino-directed drama "Artificial," which features a critical portrayal of OpenAI founder Sam Altman and Elon Musk, faced distribution challenges. Amazon MGM, which initially acquired the film, dropped it. Neon eventually picked up the project, but reportedly without a minimum financial guarantee, a significant blow for a film with an estimated budget of $40 million to $50 million and awards aspirations. Sources suggest that a lack of appetite for films criticizing tech oligarchs contributed to this situation.
Amazon's strategic partnership and substantial investment in OpenAI, announced shortly after acquiring "Artificial" as a pitch, created an awkward dynamic for the film's distribution within the company. The news of this partnership, valued at up to $50 billion, highlights the deep financial entanglements between Amazon and OpenAI.
Other projects targeting tech moguls also face uncertainty. Darren Aronofsky's film about Elon Musk at A24 has been in development for three years with no reported forward movement. Similarly, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's "Gawker Killer," which reportedly features Peter Thiel as a central character, is not in development at Netflix, where the duo has a production deal.
One agent described the current climate as similar to when Hollywood tailored content to appease Chinese market sensibilities. "Film executives keep their jobs by maximizing profits, not by being cultural provocateurs," the agent stated, explaining the pressure to avoid alienating powerful tech figures who are increasingly intertwined with the entertainment industry.
Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning," starring Jeremy Strong as Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, is slated for release by Sony on October 9. This film, which was completed before the perceived shift in Hollywood's stance, will offer audiences an unsympathetic portrayal of a tech titan.
A veteran producer questioned whether audiences are interested in biopics of figures who are perceived as unrelatable or unsympathetic, regardless of industry pressures. Representatives for Neon and CAA declined to comment on "Artificial." While a source familiar with the "Artificial" deal disputed the claim of no money changing hands, no specific figure was disclosed.