Brief
Tech CEOs cast as modern film villains in three new movies
Jeremy Strong, Andrew Garfield and Alex Gibney play Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman and Elon Musk in new releases that recast tech leaders as today's Darth Vaders.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The Guardian reports that three recent films portray leading technology executives as contemporary villains, likening them to Darth Vader. Jeremy Strong stars as Mark Zuckerberg in Alex Gibney’s four‑hour documentary "Musk," while Andrew Garfield plays Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino’s drama "Artificial." The Guardian notes that Strong’s performance is described as a "very interesting Zuckerberg impersonation" by Peter Bradshaw, and that the casting choices emphasize a shift from traditional cinematic villains to tech‑industry figures.
"The Social Reckoning," which follows the narrative of "The Social Network," presents Zuckerberg as a steely CEO on the brink of global hegemony, with Strong’s portrayal described as straitjacketed and humanising at the film’s end. In "Artificial," Garfield’s Altman is depicted alongside Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever, underscoring the unflattering tone of the drama. The Guardian also mentions that Elon Musk appears as himself – with occasional AI‑generated avatar insertions – in Gibney’s documentary "Musk," completing what it calls a "villainous trilogy" of tech leaders.
These productions join a broader trend of scrutinising the influence of Silicon Valley figures in cinema, reflecting a cultural shift that positions tech CEOs as the new archetypal antagonists.
Key facts
- Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Reckoning". (theguardian.com)
- Andrew Garfield portrays Sam Altman in "Artificial". (theguardian.com)
- Alex Gibney directed the four‑hour documentary "Musk" featuring Elon Musk as himself. (theguardian.com)
- Peter Bradshaw described Strong’s performance as a "very interesting Zuckerberg impersonation". (theguardian.com)
- The Guardian frames the three films as a "villainous trilogy" of tech executives. (theguardian.com)
Sources
- [1] theguardian.com — originally reported as “The new Darth Vader: how tech execs became the film villains of our age”
