Overview
- The nearly four‑hour documentary Musk, directed by Alex Gibney, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and screened at the Toronto Film Festival in mid‑September 2026 and uses interviews, archival material and a CGI recreation of Musk built from his public remarks because he declined to participate.
- Elon Musk publicly blasted the film on his X platform and his lawyer Alex Spiro sent a pre‑release letter to Gibney’s team alleging the documentary insinuates Starlink was used to affect the 2024 presidential election and warning of defamation action.
- Gibney says he repeatedly reached out for on‑camera participation but received no direct reply beyond Musk’s public posts, and he and producers say the film underwent independent fact‑checking and extensive legal review.
- Distributor Bleecker Street has moved the U.S. theatrical release up to October 9, 2026 and HBO Max is slated to stream the film after its theatrical run.
- The dispute highlights larger questions about concentrated tech influence, media ownership and the risks to public debate, and the coming weeks could bring fact‑checking scrutiny, possible legal filings, or pressure on distributors and streamers.