Comedian from Apple TV+’s Hit Show to Play Elon Musk, World’s Richest Man, in New Movie

Luca Guadagnino is gearing up for his next film, Artificial, a comedic drama set in the world of artificial intelligence.

The movie will focus on OpenAI and the dramatic events in 2023 when the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, was fired and then quickly rehired.

According to Variety, Ike Barinholtz, known for his role in The Studio on Amazon, is currently in talks to play Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and former ally of Donald Trump.

The movie has not officially finalized Barinholtz’s casting, but the buzz is strong. Artificial will also star Andrew Garfield, expected to play Sam Altman, and Yura Borisov, rumored to portray Ilya Sutskever, one of OpenAI’s co-founders who pushed for Altman’s removal.

The script was written by Simon Rich, who will also produce the film alongside David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, and Jennifer Fox. Production is set to begin in early August in Italy, with a planned theatrical release in 2026.

Barinholtz recently received an Emmy nomination for his role as Sal Saperstein in The Studio, a satirical show about Hollywood created by Seth Rogen. He’s well known for TV shows like Eastbound & Down, The Mindy Project, and The Afterparty, as well as movies like Blockers and Neighbors.

This project marks another collaboration between Guadagnino and Amazon MGM, who also backed Guadagnino’s recent films such as Challengers (2024), Bones and All (2022), and Suspiria (2018).

The studio is also supporting Guadagnino’s upcoming drama After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri, which will premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

According to Variety, Artificial promises to bring a unique blend of comedy and drama to a story about one of the most talked-about companies in tech today, with a cast ready to bring real-life figures like Musk and Altman to the big screen.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!