While Musk has attacked the film as a “hit piece” and a “psy op,” it’s been critically well-received thus far, despite a daunting run time of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Per Gibney, Musk declined to be interviewed for the film, so the director created an AI version of Musk uttering verbatim public quotes as a stand-in for a real interview. That, too, is likely to draw some controversy.
The trailer includes a few well-known incidents: Tesla and the fatalities linked to its driver-assistance systems, SpaceX, his purchase of Twitter, DOGE, and his 14 (possibly more) children, among others. Those interviewed include ex-wife Justine Musk, tech journalists Kara Swisher and Zoe Schiffer, engineers Martin Eberhard and Geoffrey Hinton, and former MAGA influencer Ashley St. Clair, who also bore a child by Musk. I spotted Cory Doctorow and physicist Adam Becker in the trailer. David Byrne co-wrote and performs an original song, “Let Me Sell You a Dream,” incorporating more of Musk’s words.
Musk is slated for theatrical release in the US on October 9. Per Deadline Hollywood, Universal has confirmed that it is lining up an international release schedule for the first quarter of 2027, which is also when it’s slated to start streaming on HBO.