Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming Amazon MGM Studios movie Artificial has gained another major star, joining its already impressive cast. While the director’s After the Hunt just debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, he is already working on this adaptation of the real events surrounding the company OpenAI in 2023, when the CEO was fired and rehired within days.

Artificial was previously confirmed to star Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Billie Lourd, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Cooper Hoffman, and Ike Barinholtz. Now, per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, it has been announced that the Oscar-winning and renowned stage actor Mark Rylance is also joining Artificial‘s cast.

Rylance won his Oscar in 2016 for the historical thriller Bridge of Spies. His major on-screen credits also include 2017’s Dunkirk and 2022’s Bones and All. However, Rylance is also a mᴀssive name in the world of modern Shakespearean theater, winning awards and appearing in productions of Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, and Richard III.

As Guadagnino directed Bones and All, this will be a reunion between the director and the actor, following the former’s projects of Challengers, Queer, and After the Hunt. Artificial is being written by Simon Rich, and co-produced by Rich, Jennifer Fox, and Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford.

What Mark Rylance’s Casting Means For Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial

It is not a huge surprise that Rylance is coming back to work with Guadagnino again, given their previous collaboration, but it is a major boon for the new movie. When all of Luca Guadagnino’s best movies since Call Me By Your Name have missed come awards season, an actor as seasoned as Rylance can lend this one some additional publicity.

Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter‘s sources suggest that Rylance is playing Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, positioning him as a mentor figure to Yura Borisov’s character. Rylance would doubtlessly elevate this movie by portraying a fascinating mentor figure as younger people in the industry are faced with dilemmas over new technology.

Our Take On Mark Rylance Joining Artificial

Guadagnino has been a champion of rising stars: Timothée Chalamet had his breakout role with Call Me By Your Name, while Challengers allowed Zendaya to show off even more of her intense presence and versatility. The director is now working with recent first-time Oscar-nominees Yura Borisov and Monica Barbaro, and highlighting the likes of Billie Lourd, Cooper Hoffman, and Will Price.

Thus, it seems like Artificial needs a veteran with as much gravitas as Mark Rylance to anchor it. The movie exploring the world of AI is likely to be as cutthroat as Guadagnino’s other projects delving into different compeтιтive professions, and a cast is needed that can, across the board, always be at the top of their game.