Overview of The Town: Why Amazon Dumped Its Sam Altman Movie, and What That Says About Hollywood
This episode centers on Amazon MGM Studios’ decision to stop releasing Artificial, Luca Guadagnino’s completed film about OpenAI and Sam Altman, and what that move signals about the growing influence of Big Tech over Hollywood. Host Matt Belloni and guest Keech Hagey unpack the business, political, and creative stakes behind the cancellation, including Amazon’s relationship with OpenAI, the film’s reportedly harsh portrayal of Altman, and the broader chilling effect this could have on movies that criticize powerful tech companies.
The Main Story: Amazon’s Artificial Controversy
What happened
- Amazon MGM Studios greenlit, financed, and shot Artificial.
- The film reportedly depicts Sam Altman and OpenAI in an unflattering, even scathing, light.
- Amazon later decided the movie would be “better served” by a different studio and began shopping it elsewhere.
- As of the episode’s taping, several major buyers had already passed, including:
- Netflix
- A24
- Focus Features
Why Amazon may have backed away
- Belloni argues the timing is suspicious because Amazon recently struck a major deal with OpenAI.
- That deal makes Amazon a key infrastructure partner to OpenAI, which could make a hostile movie about Altman awkward for the company.
- The panel also considers a simpler explanation: maybe the film just wasn’t good enough to justify the risk.
Why this matters
- The situation raises a bigger question in Hollywood:
- Are studios now afraid to release movies that antagonize Big Tech?
- Will major companies avoid anything that touches AI, tech monopolies, or living power players?
Keech Hagey’s Perspective: The Film Is Real, But Not Necessarily Great
Her view of the script
- Hagey says the script she read was dramatic but felt more like a fictionalized synthesis of news coverage than an insider account.
- She thought it leaned heavily into the most explosive parts of the OpenAI story, especially the internal drama around Altman’s brief ouster.
- Her core criticism: the story is already dramatic enough without adding extra “imaginary darkness.”
On Sam Altman’s portrayal
- The movie reportedly casts Altman as:
- duplicitous
- power-hungry
- someone who turns an altruistic mission into a for-profit empire
- Hagey says she can understand why Altman wouldn’t like it, but she had no direct knowledge of whether he intervened to kill it.
The Bigger Industry Question: Is Hollywood Getting Too Risk-Averse?
The “fear factor”
- Belloni compares this moment to past studio panic around controversial projects.
- He cites The Interview as a cautionary example that made studios more hesitant to provoke powerful entities.
- The concern is that executives now prioritize corporate safety over artistic risk.
A potential chilling effect
- If Artificial gets buried or never released, it may discourage future films about:
- AI companies
- tech founders
- government-tech relationships
- other “third rail” topics involving wealthy, powerful firms
The line between free speech and business decisions
- Hagey notes that companies are free not to make or release movies they don’t want.
- But once a film is made, Hollywood traditionally expects studios to “back the artist.”
- The real issue is whether studios will continue honoring that unwritten pact when corporate relationships are at stake.
Why This Feels Bigger Than One Movie
The consolidation problem
- Belloni argues the episode reflects how much of entertainment is now tied to Big Tech:
- Amazon
- Apple
- Netflix
- YouTube/Google
- potential AI partnerships across the industry
- He suggests there are fewer and fewer independent power centers left in entertainment.
AI and Hollywood are converging
- Both speakers note that major entertainment companies increasingly want AI partnerships.
- There’s pressure to align with AI firms because:
- stock markets reward growth narratives
- media companies need new business stories
- AI now looks unavoidable in production and distribution
The uncomfortable future
- The episode suggests Hollywood may become increasingly dependent on the same companies it could once criticize.
- That creates a paradox:
- studios want to tell bold stories about tech power
- but those same tech companies may now control distribution, infrastructure, or investment
A Side Note: Clive Davis and Hollywood Tradition
The episode closes with a tribute to music industry legend Clive Davis, who had died that day.
Key points
- Belloni describes Davis as one of the rare entertainment figures who truly lived up to his legend.
- He recounts Davis’s famous Grammy-week party as a uniquely old-Hollywood institution.
- The likely future of the event:
- the Recording Academy may take over more of the role
- Harvey Mason Jr. is floated as a possible successor figurehead
- the event will probably continue, but with a different vibe
Key Takeaways
- Amazon’s decision not to release Artificial is about more than one movie; it reflects the power and sensitivity of modern tech relationships.
- The film’s reported criticism of Sam Altman may have made it too risky for a company now deeply tied to OpenAI.
- Hollywood may be entering an era where films about AI, tech giants, and living power players face more resistance.
- The episode frames this as a broader warning about creative freedom, corporate consolidation, and the growing influence of Big Tech over what gets made and released.
Notable Theme
- “The tech guys are totally in charge now” is the episode’s central fear.
- The conversation repeatedly returns to a single question: If studios won’t release a movie like this, what kind of stories about powerful people are still safe?