Apple TV+ Comedian and Emmy Nominee to Play Elon Musk, World’s Richest Man, in New Movie

The new movie “Artificial,” about the world of OpenAI, has found its Elon Musk. Last month, it was announced that Luca Guadagnino would direct a comedic drama set in the world of artificial intelligence.

The story is rumored to focus on OpenAI and the chaotic events in 2023 when CEO Sam Altman was fired and quickly rehired.

According to Variety, Ike Barinholtz, known for his role in “The Studio,” is currently in talks to play Elon Musk in the film. While the deal is not yet official, Barinholtz is the leading choice for the role.

By early 2025, Guadagnino was confirmed as the director of “Artificial.” The film is based on the brief dismissal of Sam Altman, an event driven by Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder of OpenAI.

The script was written by Simon Rich and the production is handled by Amazon MGM Studios, which also produced “Challengers” and “After the Hunt.” Filming is set to begin in Italy by early August, with a planned release in 2026. Alongside Barinholtz, the cast includes Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, and Cooper Koch, while Monica Barbaro is reportedly in talks to join.

Luca Guadagnino’s choice to cast Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk is interesting, especially since Barinholtz recently received an Emmy nomination for his role in “The Studio,” a Hollywood satire created by Seth Rogen.

Barinholtz is also known for his work in TV shows like “Eastbound & Down,” “The Mindy Project,” and “The Afterparty,” as well as movies such as “Blockers” and “Neighbors.”

“Artificial” will also star Andrew Garfield, who is expected to play Sam Altman, and Yura Borisov, who is rumored to portray Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder behind the move to remove Altman. The film has been described as a comedic drama, set against the backdrop of artificial intelligence’s rise and the real-life drama within OpenAI.

Simon Rich, known for “An American Pickle,” wrote the screenplay and will produce alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, and Jennifer Fox.

This movie marks another collaboration between Guadagnino and Amazon MGM Studios, who previously worked together on films like “Challengers” (2024), “Bones and All” (2022), and “Suspiria” (2018). Amazon MGM is also backing Guadagnino’s upcoming project “After the Hunt,” a drama starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri, which is set to premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

The information about the cast and production comes from Variety and industry sources tracking the film’s development.

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