Luca Guadagnino's film Artificial, which dramatises the sudden firing and reinstatement of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, is expected to skip a traditional autumn film festival launch, according to Deadline. The decision matters because the project has become a lightning rod for media scrutiny, particularly after Amazon dropped the film last month and independent distributor Neon stepped in to release it.

Deadline reports there has been interest from multiple A-list festivals, but the film is unlikely to receive a standard rollout with a red carpet, press conference and junkets, though it may still appear at a festival in some form. Andrew Garfield stars as Altman, alongside a cast including Monica Barbaro, Mark Rylance and Yura Borisov, from a script by SNL alum Simon Rich. Neon acquired the film via a straight distribution deal without paying a minimum guarantee, covering marketing costs, and plans a release later this year with an Oscar campaign. Amazon had walked away shortly after striking a major partnership with OpenAI in February, including a reported $50bn investment.