Artificial: Ike Barinholtz is closing the deal to portray Elon Musk in Luca Guadagnino’s AI-focused film
It was recently reported that Andrew Garfield has joined Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial. Garfield, who can also be seen in Guadagnino’s upcoming After the Hunt, joins Cooper Koch, who broke out in a big way thanks to playing Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Additionally, Anora‘s Yura Borisov will also star in the film, which is described as a “comedic drama set in the world of artificial intelligence.“
Deadline is now reporting that the production is in negotiations with Ike Barinholtz to join the movie to play Elon Musk. Barinholtz is striking while the iron is hot as he gained acclaim for his turn in the Apple TV+ comedy, The Studio. Barinholtz has even earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the Seth Rogen program.
The film recounts the tumultuous period at artificial intelligence company OpenAI in 2023, when CEO Sam Altman was fired and rehired in a matter of days. It’s assumed that Garfield will play Altman, while Borisov will play Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder who led the movement to boot Altman out of the company. There is no word on who Koch will be playing. Monica Barbaro (FUBAR) remains in talks to play chief technology officer Mira Murati.
The script was penned by Simon Rich (Miracle Workers), who will also produce alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford, as well as Jennifer Fox.
Last week, the trailer for Guadagnino’s Julia Roberts film was released — the generational conflict drama After the Hunt. The official synopsis reads, “From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, AFTER THE HUNT is a gripping psychological drama about a college professor (Julia Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield), and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come into the light. AFTER THE HUNT is written by Nora Garrett.”
Guadagnino was initially slated to direct Sgt. Rock for DC Studios this summer, but the project was pushed back and the director quickly filled his schedule with Artificial. There’s still a chance Guadagnino could return to the project. No official reason has been given for the delay, though sources suggest it came down to scheduling conflicts due to the project’s plan to shoot outdoors. Production is now being eyed for summer 2026. There were also reported concerns about Guadagnino’s lack of experience with large-scale action.
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