Cooper Koch is officially on Hollywood’s radar in a big way. The breakout actor has earned his first-ever Emmy nomination for his chilling portrayal of Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the latest season of the hit true-crime anthology series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.

The critically acclaimed series premiered on Netflix and shot to the top of the streaming charts, quickly becoming the number-one show and racking up billions of minutes watched. Koch’s performance was widely praised, earning him not only an Emmy nod but also a Golden Globe nomination earlier this year.
Now, Koch is riding that momentum into his next high-profile role. According to Deadline, he has joined the cast of Artificial, a new AI-themed feature film from acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino, best known for Call Me by Your Name and Challengers. The film is being developed by Amazon MGM Studios.

Details about Koch’s role are being kept tightly under wraps, but the film is described as a comedic drama set in the world of artificial intelligence. Sources say the plot may be loosely inspired by the real-life 2023 leadership upheaval at OpenAI, which saw CEO Sam Altman famously fired and rehired within days.
Artificial will also star Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov, with Simon Rich writing the script and producing alongside David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford, and Jennifer Fox. Monica Barbaro is reportedly in talks to join the cast as well.

Cooper Koch is no stranger to buzzy projects. In addition to Monsters, he’s appeared in the horror film They/Them opposite Kevin Bacon and the indie feature Swallowed, directed by Carter Smith.
With award nominations piling up and a starring role in one of the year’s most anticipated films, Koch is emerging as one of the most exciting queer actors of his generation. His sharp instincts for choosing meaningful, headline-making roles suggest that this is only the beginning of a major career in the making.
And let’s face it — when you’ve got the talent, the accolades, and Luca Guadagnino on speed dial, the future looks anything but artificial.