Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon compilation of Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, Matt Belloni gets his hands on the script for Artificial, Amazon’s dramatization of OpenAI’s origin story. Barring significant rewrites, the script casts co-founder and C.E.O. Sam Altman in… less than favorable terms. Should Amazon be applauded for greenlighting this $40 million critique—despite the fact that the company is deeply invested in OpenAI rival Anthropic?

Plus, below the fold: Ian Krietzberg rings up Runway AI co-founder Anastasis Germanidis for a brilliant dissection of the industry’s “world models” problem. Julia Ioffe gets inside Foggy Bottom for the latest dish on Marco Rubio’s vanishing act. John Ourand breaks down the bids and stakes for F1’s next blockbuster U.S. media rights deal. And exclusively for Inner Circle members, Lauren Sherman delivers the goods on the Anna Wintour succession sweepstakes.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Dylan Byers and Julia Alexander sit down for a Grill Room debate on how the media can survive Google’s A.I. pivot. On Impolitic, John Heilemann and MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace explore the MAGAworld family drama over the long-rumored Epstein client list. On Fashion People, Lauren chats with multihyphenate Liz Goldwyn about ’90s fashion, Los Angeles style, and her incredible vintage collection. And on The Powers That Be, Julia Alexander and Matt consider whether the Superman and Fantastic Four reboots can pull each franchise out of the doldrums.

HOLLYWOOD

Matt got his hands on Artificial, Hollywood’s new version of The Social Network for the A.I. age. Altman and Elon Musk will probably hate their portrayals, but it’s a small miracle that Amazon, itself a player in the A.I. race, is making this $40 million movie in the first place.

Read Now

A.I.

A candid conversation with Anastasis Germanidis, the C.T.O. and co-founder of Runway, the major A.I. image- and video-generation company, about the trouble with building “world models,” the next steps in advancing the technology, the highly contentious issue of automated media, and much more.

Read Now

WASHINGTON

Marco Rubio’s appointment at Foggy Bottom was greeted with optimism in the building, where staffers saw him as a serious foreign policy person. But their hope quickly died as America’s chief diplomat instead became a mute accessory to Trump.

Read Now

SPORTS

Cupertino has its highest-grossing theatrical release ever in Brad Pitt’s F1, and F1 execs think it’s time for ESPN to double the racing series’ rights deal. But Bristol doesn’t seem inclined to merge into the fast lane.

Read Now

FASHION

Anna Wintour is searching for her Vogue successor as Condé Nast embraces life as a brand management firm, squeezing every drop of value from its once-mighty titles. But does Anna have a vision for the company, post-Anna?

Read Now

MEDIA

Julia Alexander reunites with Dylan to delve into how A.I. services like ChatGPT are cutting into Google’s search market share—and how Google’s new A.I. tools may be cannibalizing its own business. They also discuss the annual Allen & Co. conference, the biggest storylines stemming from Sun Valley Lodge this year, and much, much more.

Listen Now

WASHINGTON

John welcomes his bestie Nicolle Wallace, host of MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, back to the show to discuss the intra-MAGA fallout from Donald Trump and Pam Bondi’s failure to release the long-rumored list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients; Nicolle’s new podcast, The Best People, and why its approach to politics is so different from that of her daily TV show; and their shared enrapturement with the fourth season of The Bear.

Listen Now

FASHION

Lauren’s guest is Liz Goldwyn, writer of Starf*cker on Substack, documentary filmmaker, sexual wellness advocate, book author, and Hollywood royalty. She joins Lauren to talk about her life working in fashion in the 1990s and 2000s, Los Angeles style, and her incredible vintage collection—from Nicolas Ghesquière–era Balenciaga to Sorelle Fontana—a selection of which is currently on sale at Arcade Vintage.

Listen Now

HOLLYWOOD

Matt Belloni joins guest host Julia Alexander to discuss the high-stakes summer blockbusters that could make or break two battered superhero franchises. With Superman poised for a $130 million debut, Warner Bros. Discovery is betting big on a comeback after a string of DC misfires. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot carries the burden of reviving a post-Endgame brand that has lost its allure. Can either studio pull itself out of its respective funk?

Listen Now

Need help? Review our FAQ page or contact us for assistance. For brand partnerships, email ads@puck.news.

You received this email because you signed up to receive emails from Puck, or as part of your Puck account associated with {{customer.email}}. To stop receiving this newsletter and/or manage all your email preferences, click here.

Puck is published by Heat Media LLC. 107 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006