Elon Musk is not happy about a new documentary coming his way, and the trailer is doing its best to make sure everyone knows it. The film, directed by Alex Gibney, is titled Musk and it is set to hit theaters on October 9.
Musk’s Crash-Out Over the Film
Musk has been calling the documentary a “hit piece” and Gibney a “douche” since 2023. That is when he learned he was the subject of a film from the director of Going Clear, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, and The Inventor. Since then, Musk has stepped up his response. He has posted about how “dog shit deserves more respect” than Gibney, and his attorney Alex Spiro sent a letter to the production claiming the allegations about Musk’s involvement in the 2024 election were misinformation.
The latest trailer is not hiding those allegations. It features Ashley St. Clair, the mother of two of Musk’s millions of children, who says in the trailer that Musk told her he could not be president but could help Trump beat Biden. She also says he told her “I think we’re gonna win!” and that he had “10,000 lasers in space. I knew that hours ago.”
In 2024, St. Clair declined to sign a $40 million NDA after giving birth to Musk’s 13th child. She has since spent the last year disclosing the dangers Musk poses to the rest of the world.
The Documentary’s Premise
Gibney’s four-hour film is described as a treatise on why Musk, the world’s richest man who posts openly about white genocide, might also be the world’s most dangerous liar. The documentary connects Musk’s self-mythologizing, his plain-as-day white supremacist beliefs, and his obscene access to power.
Musk has not stopped posting about white genocide since the film was announced. The trailer leans into that, framing the film as a connective tissue between his public statements and his private actions.
What Happens Next
Universal is wavering on giving the film international distribution, and Musk is attempting to block the film’s release. The film’s domestic debut is scheduled for October 9, and the trailer is now doing the heavy lifting of getting people through the door.
The film is not soft. It is a four-hour treatise, and the trailer makes that clear. The question is whether audiences will come see it.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Musk
- Director: Alex Gibney
- Release Date: October 9, only in theaters
- Length: Four hours
- NDA amount: $40 million
- Child count: 13
Related Works
- Going Clear
- Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
- The Inventor
The trailer is doing what trailers do: it sells the film. Whether audiences will come see it depends on whether they want to watch a four-hour portrait of a man they already dislike.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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