Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro in Talks For ‘Artificial’

Preview:

• Luca Guadagnino is setting up new movie ‘Artificial,’ about the OpenAI executive shuffle.
• Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro and Yura Borisov are in early talks to star.
• Simon Rich wrote the script.

What do you do when your big, if unexpected plan to leap from the auteur indie world into the depths of the DC Studios cinematic universe doesn’t turn out quite the way you were thinking?

If you’re Luca Guadagnino, you pivot, go after a very different subject matter and look to work again with an actor who starred in your latest movie –– in this case, Andrew Garfield, who just starred for the director in the upcoming ‘After the Hunt.’

Yes, according to Deadline, Guadagnino, who had been in the midst of setting up DC offering ‘Sgt. Rock,’ has responded to that movie being pushed for a year by switching to a new script called ‘Artificial,’ and he has Garfield in early talks to star alongside ‘A Complete Unknown’s Monica Barbaro and ‘Anora’s Yura Borisov.

The trade site cautions that while Amazon MGM Studios is eagerly putting the pieces together, none of the deals are yet closed. Still, hopes are high for this one to be shooting in the summer in San Francisco and Italy and David Heyman –– the ‘Harry Potter’ producer who recently agreed to oversee the Bond franchise alongside Amy Pascal –– is also attached to this.

Related Article: Colin Farrell Looking to Star in ‘Sgt. Rock’ for Director Luca Guadagnino

What’s the story of ‘Artificial’?

Director Luca Guadagnino attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.

Again, we’d caution that this one is still not completely confirmed. But Guadagnino reportedly considered several scripts before landing on Simon Rich’s (‘An American Pickle’) about the wild true story surrounding OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

He co-founded OpenAI, but in the fall of 2023, after mounting safety concerns regarding AI, and reports of abusive behavior, was ousted as the head of the company by his board.

Five days later, after a revolt, he was reinstated in a story reminiscent of the return of Steve Jobs to Apple.

If all goes as planned, Garfield is eyeing the role of Altman, Barbaro will be chief technology officer Mira Murati, and Borisov could nab the role of Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder who led the movement to get rid of Altman.

Along with Garfield, the new project marks a reunion for Guadagnino and Amazon, having made ‘After the Hunt’ and last year’s sizzling tennis drama ‘Challengers’ for the company.

And the story of a controversial tech executive is not exactly unknown to Garfield, who famously appeared in ‘The Social Network.’

What else is Luca Guadagnino working on?

(L to R) Director Luca Guadagnino and producer Amy Pascal attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios.

As talked about above, the director had been busy developing ‘Sgt. Rock,’ which adapts the DC Comics character for the big screen. Daniel Craig reportedly considered the lead, but Guadagnino was locking in on Colin Farrell to star.

Yet weather conditions have reportedly stymied the production, and the aim is to have it rolling cameras next year.

Beyond that, he has a variety of other potential movies waiting in the wings, including a new adaptation of ‘American Psycho’ and romantic drama ‘Separate Rooms.’

He was also considering a ‘Lord of the Flies’ adaptation, but that has vanished into development limbo.

Where else can we see Andrew Garfield?

Andrew Garfield in ‘We Live in Time’. Photo: StudioCanal.

Besides ‘After the Hunt,’ Garfield will next be seen in children’s movie ‘The Magic Faraway Tree,’ adapted from the Enid Blyton novel about a family discovering a magical tree with eccentric residents. That movie has yet to conjure up a release date.

He’s attached to various other projects, including ‘Voyagers,’ which would see him play astronomer, planetary scientist and TV host Carl Sagan in the story of the romance between Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan.

There’s also ‘Wild Things,’ the Apple TV+ biodrama series about iconic Vegas performers Siegfried and Roy, who famously employed white tigers in their act and, for one of them at least, infamously fell afoul of that concept. Garfield will star as Roy opposite Jude Law as Siegfried.

Also on his list? ‘The Rage,’ a new Paul Greengrass movie set during the Peasants’ Revolt, a major uprising that took part across large parts of England in 1381 in response to socio-economic and political tensions and high taxation.

Finally, hopes remain that he’ll reunited with his ‘Silence’ director Martin Scorsese for the filmmaker’s passion project ‘The Life of Jesus.’

What other projects does Monica Barbaro have lined up?

Monica Barbaro arrives on the red carpet of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Etienne Laurent / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Barbaro, who had a breakout role in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and scored an Oscar nomination playing Joan Baez in ‘A Complete Unknown,’ will be back on small screens next month in the second season of ‘FUBAR,’ the Netflix action comedy in which she stars alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

She also has a role in Bart Layton’s adaptation of Don Winslow novel ‘Crime 101,’ which also features Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo.

When will ‘Artificial’ be on screens?

Given that the deals are still being hammered out, Amazon MGM has yet to give this one a release date.

Guadagnino’s latest, the aforementioned ‘After The Hunt,’ which stars Garfield alongside Julia Roberts and Chloë Sevigny, is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 17th, signaling a potential awards contender.

Andrew Garfield in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Photo: Sony Pictures.

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