OpenAI shut Sora down in April. Now it might come back, just not as the app you remember. According to a report in The Information on October 12, 2026, OpenAI is in talks to hand Sora to a new Hollywood startup.

One note before the details: the article is paywalled. I could read the headline, the byline and the teaser. The deal details below come from The Information's own public post on X and from outlets that cite the story. Where something is only reported, I say so.

How Sora died

This part is confirmed by OpenAI. Sora 2 launched on September 30, 2025, with a TikTok style app. On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced it would discontinue Sora. OpenAI's help center gives the dates: the Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API was set to shut off on September 24, 2026.

Today, sora.chatgpt.com shows one line ("Sora is no longer available") and an Export button for your data. The openai.com/sora address now redirects to the discontinuation article.

The reason was compute. An OpenAI spokesperson said that "as we focus and compute demand grows, the Sora research team continues to focus on world simulation research." The Information's teaser puts it more bluntly: Sora was cut as part of a broader culling of server intensive "side projects," while rivals xAI and Google kept pushing ahead on video.

The reported deal

The Information's post on X sums it up: "A startup co-founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg and former Sora research lead Bill Peebles is in talks to customize the video model for filmmakers." Katzenberg is a co-founder of DreamWorks.

Outlets citing the article add these points, all reported and not confirmed:

  1. The startup would customize Sora and sell software or services to film and video production companies.
  2. OpenAI would take an equity stake. The size is not disclosed.
  3. The terms are not final.
  4. It is unclear whether the startup would get the model weights.

Secondary coverage also names a third co-founder, former Dropbox CFO Sujay Jaswa. The startup's name has not been made public.

Why Peebles matters

Bill Peebles led the team that built Sora, and he left OpenAI in April 2026 (reported by Bloomberg). So this is not a random company licensing a dead product. It is the original research lead taking the original model to Hollywood, with an animation studio founder next to him. If the model weights are part of the deal, the people who know the system best would be the ones tuning it for film work.

The catch

If this happens, Sora comes back as a professional film tool sold to studios, not the free social app with a feed. Regular users should not expect the old Sora app to return.

And nothing is signed. I found no OpenAI comment on the talks, so treat the whole deal as a report about a negotiation, not an announcement.

My take

This makes sense on both sides. OpenAI frees up compute, keeps upside through equity, and does not have to run a consumer video app. The startup gets a proven model and its original lead. The open question is the weights. Without them, this is a reseller deal. With them, it is a real second life for Sora. I will update this when someone confirms which one it is.

Sources: The Information: OpenAI's Plan To Revive Sora, OpenAI Help Center: Sora discontinuation, OpenAI: Sora 2