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Amazon shelved finished Sam Altman film after $50B OpenAI deal; Neon acquired it
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Amazon spent $40 million producing a film about Sam Altman and the November 2023 OpenAI board crisis, directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Andrew Garfield. After test screenings went well, Amazon signed a $50 billion multiyear partnership with OpenAI in February. Four months later, Amazon MGM put the nearly complete film up for sale, with sources telling reporters that both the OpenAI investment and the film's unflattering portrayal of Altman factored into the decision. Indie studio Neon, which distributed Parasite and Anora, won the bidding war and premiered the film at the New York Film Festival, scheduling a Christmas Day release for Oscar eligibility. The post argues that the $40 million film was a rounding error on the $50 billion deal, and that unlike Sony's independence when releasing The Social Network, every major studio now has billions riding on AI.
Source report
Amazon spent $40 million producing a film about Sam Altman, then signed a $50 billion partnership with Altman's company, OpenAI — and quietly shelved the movie.
The film was nearly complete. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, starring Andrew Garfield as Altman, and written by Simon Rich, it chronicled the five days in November 2023 when OpenAI's board fired its CEO and the company nearly collapsed. Test screenings reportedly went well.
In February, Amazon signed a multiyear partnership with OpenAI valued at $50 billion. Four months later, Amazon MGM announced the almost-finished film would be "better served" by a different studio and put it up for sale. Sources told reporters that both the OpenAI investment and the film's unflattering portrayal of Altman factored into the decision.
Neon — the studio behind Parasite and Anora — won the bidding war. The film premiered at the New York Film Festival last week and has been scheduled for a Christmas Day release to qualify for the Oscars.
A $40 million movie is a rounding error on a $50 billion partnership. Rounding errors get rounded off.
When The Social Network was released in 2010, Sony had zero financial stake in Facebook. That independence is gone. Every studio large enough to fund a prestige drama about AI is now owned by a company with billions riding on the technology. As a result, the most anticipated tech film of the decade is being released by an indie — because the indie is the only distributor with nothing to lose.
Source
aakashguptaNeutral / independent