Hollywood in fear: Why biopics about Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Peter Thiel are on the brink of cancellation

The turning point came with the fate of Artificial, a high-budget drama directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, and Ike Barinholtz. As the press learned, indie distributor Neon agreed to theatrical distribution only under a "zero financial guarantee" clause. For a $40–$50 million film aiming for the Oscars, this is a devastating blow. Yet, even this contract is considered a miracle, given that the industry has effectively blacklisted projects about "Silicon Valley bros."

Originally, the rights to Artificial belonged to Amazon MGM Studios, which bought the pitch back in 2023. However, studio executives quickly realized the awkwardness of the situation: the film’s main antagonist is OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (played by Garfield), and Amazon is currently tied to him through multi-billion dollar contracts:

• In November, OpenAI signed a $38 billion agreement with Amazon Web Services.

• Three months later, Amazon announced an additional $50 billion investment in OpenAI, "subject to certain conditions."

Consequently, Amazon quietly shelved the movie, sending a clear signal to the entire entertainment industry: touching AI oligarchs is hazardous to business. Making matters worse, the film also portrays Elon Musk in an extremely unflattering light.

"This is exactly the same cowardice we witnessed back when China was the key market for American cinema. Every studio bent over backward to avoid offending Beijing," comments a leading Hollywood agent. "Studio executives keep their jobs by maximizing profits, not by funding cultural provocations."

Which Projects Are Trapped in Development Hell?

After Artificial was consecutively passed on by Amazon, Netflix, Focus, and A24, other high-profile biopics about tech elites faced potential freezing:

• Elon Musk Biopic by Darren Aronofsky: The A24 project was loudly announced three years ago, but it has not moved an inch forward since.

• "Gawker Killer" by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon: The film is set to chronicle the collapse of the Gawker media portal, orchestrated by billionaire Peter Thiel—one of the most conservative and influential figures in tech. Despite the Affleck-Damon duo having a first-look deal with Netflix, representatives for the streaming service have already stated the project is "not in active development."

The sole exception that audiences will actually get to see is Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning—a sequel to the iconic The Social Network. In this Sony Pictures film, scheduled for release on October 9, Jeremy Strong takes on the role of the "Metaverse threat" Mark Zuckerberg. However, this project was greenlit and shot long before AI giants started buying up Hollywood.

Does the Audience Even Want These Movies?

While the independent platform Mubi (which was the runner-up to acquire Artificial) calculates the financial risks—especially since the film's primary protagonist and "good guy" is Israeli scientist Ilya Sutskever (played by Yura Borisov), a choice that risks boycotts in the current political climate—industry veterans are asking a more fundamental question.

"The real question is, does the audience even want to watch these biopics?" reflects a seasoned producer. "The leaders of the tech world rarely evoke sympathy or a desire to emulate them among regular viewers."