Staff Reporter
San Francisco’s most recognizable spots — Coit Tower, Dolores Park, and the Presidio — are stepping into the spotlight as filming locations for Artificial, a $40 million feature starring Andrew Garfield as OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The filming details come from city permits reviewed by The Standard.
READ: STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-
Film Title: Artificial
-
Budget: $40 million
-
Lead Role: Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman
-
Key Supporting Cast: Yura Borisov as Illya Sutskever, Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk
-
Director: Luca Guadagnino
-
Production: Amazon MGM Studios, Eternal Leo Productions (MGM subsidiary)
-
Filming Period: July 24 – Aug. 2
-
Local Crew Hired: 425 members
-
San Francisco Locations: Coit Tower, Dolores Park, Presidio, Atelier Crenn, Stable Cafe, Gough Street, Portola Drive
-
Notable Scenes: Dialogue at Dolores Park, b-roll at OpenAI’s former HQ, driving shots at Twin Peaks
-
SFPD Charges: $40,000 for safety and traffic management
-
Release Year: 2026
The movie, slated for a 2026 release, tells the story of a corporate and personal power struggle inside the artificial intelligence giant. It follows the events surrounding OpenAI’s former chief scientist, Illya Sutskever, played by Yura Borisov (Anora), who, according to the film’s synopsis, was sidelined and eventually ousted by Altman after the latter’s brief removal from his own company.
Director Luca Guadagnino — known for Challengers and Call Me by Your Name — is leading the Amazon MGM Studios project. The story, according to industry descriptions, is expected to critique Silicon Valley’s intense fixation on AI and the industry’s rapid and sometimes reckless growth.
Monica Barbaro, a San Francisco native recognized for her role in A Complete Unknown, will portray former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati. Actor Ike Barinholtz (The Studio) will play billionaire Elon Musk, who famously clashed with Altman over the future and control of OpenAI.
Filming in San Francisco took on a cinematic variety of settings. The permits detail dialogue sequences inside Atelier Crenn in the Marina and Stable Cafe in the Mission District, intercut with b-roll footage near the company’s former headquarters at 18th and Bryant Streets. Driving scenes were staged on the congested Gough Street corridor and along the sweeping curves of Portola Drive at Twin Peaks.
Online chatter from Reddit users added further glimpses into the production. Some noted actors walking outside Altman’s real-life Lombard Street mansion. Others described spotting Borisov — with a shaved head and wearing an OpenAI T-shirt — walking through Dolores Park for a filmed scene.
One city permit outlines that moment in plain terms:
“Two actors talk while in Dolores Park. They walk to the bus stop as a light rail passes by them. No actors on the actual rail itself.”
Another portion of the permit reveals the production’s attention to detail. The company, it states, would “prefer a light rail car with no advertisements on it,” and if that wasn’t possible, the crew planned to “sticky tack or soft tape our fake advertisements over what exists.”
The Dolores Park filming formed part of a larger shoot involving 425 local crew members over a nine-day period. According to the permits, the San Francisco Police Department billed the production almost $40,000 for safety and traffic management during that time.
Eternal Leo Productions, an LLC formed in May and operating under MGM Studios, is officially listed as the production company. The San Francisco Film Commission’s public documents do not reveal how much the filmmakers spent in the city — that figure was redacted. A commission spokesperson did not respond to questions about the omission.
If you’d like, I can now rework this into a more sensational New York–style headline and subhead so it reads like a big entertainment scoop. That would make it more eye-catching for print or online readers. Would you like me to prepare that next?
Appreciating your time:
We appreciate you taking the time to read our most recent article! We appreciate your opinions and would be delighted to hear them. We value your opinions as we work hard to make improvements and deliver material that you find interesting.
Post a Comment:
In the space provided for comments below, please share your ideas, opinions, and suggestions. We can better understand your interests thanks to your input, which also guarantees that the material we offer will appeal to you. Get in Direct Contact with Us: Please use our “Contact Us” form if you would like to speak with us or if you have any special questions. We are open to questions, collaborations, and, of course, criticism. To fill out our contact form, click this link.
Stay Connected:
Don’t miss out on future updates and articles.
