Overview
- The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival and had its North American bow at TIFF this month, where it received strong critical praise.
- Elon Musk publicly denounced the film on X, calling the director names and threatening legal action while his lawyer sent a pre‑release letter contesting an alleged insinuation about Starlink and the 2024 election.
- Filmmaker Alex Gibney says he repeatedly sought Musk’s participation but received no substantive response, so the film uses a CGI avatar built from Musk’s public statements.
- Producers say the nearly four‑hour film underwent extensive independent fact‑checking and legal review, and distributor Bleecker Street moved the U.S. theatrical opening to October 9 with HBO Max slated to stream it afterward.
- Beyond the headlines, the film frames a broader concern about concentrated tech and political influence and raises fresh questions about media consolidation and how platforms, regulators, and courts might handle disputes over coverage of powerful figures.