Alex Gibney releases trailer for four-hour Musk documentary as subject threatens lawsuit
Bleecker Street released the first official preview for Alex Gibney's four-hour documentary film ahead of its theatrical debut in New York and Los Angeles on October 9.
Documentary scope and trailer release
Distributor Bleecker Street released the official trailer for "Musk", an investigative documentary directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney examining the career and political influence of Elon Musk. Gibney previously directed investigative documentaries including "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room", "Taxi to the Dark Side", and "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief". The new film runs three hours and 45 minutes and includes a ten-minute intermission. Gibney originally spent two years developing a two-hour documentary, before adding another two hours of material after North American television and streaming partner HBO funded further reporting on Musk's four-month term directing the Department of Government Efficiency. Because Musk declined interview requests for the project, Gibney utilized a digital avatar programmed to recite verified public statements verbatim. The production features original music by David Byrne, who co-wrote and performed the track "Let Me Sell You a Dream".
- World premiere out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival
- Bleecker Street releases the official trailer
- Theatrical opening in New York City and Los Angeles
- Nationwide theatrical expansion across the United States
Investigation into tech ventures and political involvement
The documentary examines Musk's management across several commercial and political operations, including fatal crashes associated with Tesla driver-assistance systems and disputed claims regarding Mars colonization and company founding history. A focal segment centers on Musk's involvement in the 2024 United States presidential election, citing text messages disclosed by former partner Ashley St. Clair. In these exchanges, St. Clair reported that Musk claimed to possess advance knowledge of election outcomes through his satellite network.
He had told me, 'I can't be president, but I can help Trump beat Biden.'
The production also features testimony from Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, author Cory Doctorow, physicist Adam Becker, journalist Zoe Schiffer, and Musk's first wife Justine Musk. In the trailer, Justine Musk addresses his family life and 14 publicly acknowledged children, noting associates referred to the mothers as "the breeders". Wired editor Katie Drummond also appears in the film, pointing to direct conflicts of interest between Musk's federal administrative responsibilities and his corporate holdings.
Legal confrontation and public reactions
Musk publicly denounced the project across multiple posts on his social media platform X, describing the film as a hit piece and a psychological operation. He wrote that the production assembled individuals with personal grievances and called the director a horrible human with zero integrity. Musk's attorney Alex Spiro delivered formal legal warnings to Gibney, asserting that implications of election interference were refuted and putting the filmmakers on notice for potential defamation claims. Speaking at the Camden Film Festival in Maine, Gibney addressed the potential legal battle against Musk, whose personal net worth Forbes calculates at $929 billion.
It's not like everyone is equal under the law. He's got a bucket load of money, more money on paper than anybody on the planet. And so, is it a concern when braggadocious Alex Spiro fires a broadside and threatens to sue? Yeah, it's always a concern. But what they threatened to sue about was patently ridiculous. They hadn't even seen the film.
Festival reception and theatrical rollout
"Musk" premiered out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8, 2026, where the audience gave the film a four-minute standing ovation. Following subsequent screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Camden Film Festival, Bleecker Street scheduled an initial theatrical opening in New York City and Los Angeles on October 9, 2026. The distributor expanded the release schedule nationwide to October 16, 2026, while Universal Pictures began preparing international distribution for early 2027. The documentary holds a 100 percent approval score on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its theatrical debut.
