Overview
- Gibney gave the North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 13 after expanding the project from an earlier two‑hour cut to nearly four hours following Musk’s endorsement of President Trump.
- The documentary maps Musk’s rise and concentrates on the reach of his companies, using interviews with close associates and experts such as Errol Musk, Martin Eberhard, Ashley St. Clair and AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton to question democratic oversight of tech power.
- Musk declined on‑camera participation, so the film uses a simulated interview assembled from his public statements and Gibney says the team repeatedly sought Musk’s input but received only public remarks on X.
- Elon Musk publicly condemned the film on X and his attorney Alex Spiro sent a formal pre‑release letter alleging factual misrepresentation, setting up likely legal and journalistic scrutiny as the film reaches wider audiences.
- Bleecker Street plans a U.S. theatrical release in October with HBO Max streaming to follow, a rollout that Gibney and others warn will test media consolidation and fact‑checking during a period of heightened political and corporate scrutiny.