A new documentary on Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is slated for release on October 16, positioning it within the upcoming awards season. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, the film is expected to premiere at a major fall film festival, such as Venice, Telluride, or Toronto.
Bleecker Street acquired the theatrical rights for the documentary, which is being produced with HBO Documentary Films and Universal Pictures Content Group. When production began, the film was described as a "definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter." Gibney has a history of directing documentaries on controversial figures and subjects, including Elizabeth Holmes, Lance Armstrong, and Enron.
The documentary has already generated friction between Musk and Gibney. In 2023, Musk labeled the project a "hit piece" on Twitter, a claim Gibney questioned. Musk has not yet publicly commented on the film's new release date. An additional narrative feature film about Musk is in development at A24 with Darren Aronofsky attached to direct, though there has been little movement on that project since its announcement three years ago.
This news follows the recent acquisition of a feature film about Sam Altman and OpenAI, titled "Artificial," by Neon after several other distributors passed. "Artificial," which reportedly features Ike Barinholtz in a role portraying Musk, does not yet have a release date.
In related financial news, Musk recently lost his trillionaire status, with his net worth reported at $957 billion following a drop in SpaceX shares.