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NEON Acquires Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial

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Luca Guadagnino is taking on the AI arms race in what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated and timely films of the year. In a massive power move, NEON has officially acquired the worldwide rights to Artificial from Amazon MGM Studios, fast-tracking the star-studded tech thriller straight into this year's Oscar race. The project marks a major acquisition for NEON.

The film tackles a story that couldn't be more relevant to the cultural zeitgeist, chronicling the explosive, high-stakes days leading up to the sudden firing and dramatic reinstatement of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. With the fate of world-altering technology hanging in the balance, Guadagnino brings his signature visionary direction to a Silicon Valley pressure cooker. To bring this modern drama to life, an incredible ensemble has been assembled, featuring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, and Mark Rylance as Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton. The powerhouse cast is rounded out by Ike Barinholtz, Jason Schwartzman, Zosia Mamet, Cooper Hoffman, Chris O’Dowd, Cooper Koch, and Billie Lourd.

Behind the scenes, the creative team is just as strong. The script was penned by Saturday Night Live alum Simon Rich, who also produces alongside Guadagnino, Jennifer Fox, and Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford. Filmed on location in both San Francisco and Italy, the movie features cinematography by Malik Hassan Sayeed, production design by Stefano Baisi, and costumes by JW. Longtime Guadagnino collaborator Marco Costa serves as editor, while Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn provides the original score and songs.

By positioning Artificial for an immediate awards push, NEON is capitalizing on an extraordinary streak of success, coming off 18 Oscar nominations earlier this year and a historic seventh consecutive Cannes Palme d’Or win with Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord. Artificial joins an ambitious 2026 NEON slate that already includes upcoming features from master filmmakers like James Gray, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Hirokazu Koreeda. With its combination of an urgent, real-world premise, an elite cast, and a brilliant creative team, Artificial is poised to be an absolute powerhouse this awards season.

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