Alex Gibney’s Musk received a strong response when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, with audiences giving the documentary a roughly five-minute standing ovation and applauding Gibney’s investigation into the life and influence of Elon Musk. The reaction suggested the four-hour film could become one of the most closely watched documentaries of the year.
Despite that enthusiastic festival response, Universal Pictures now appears to be reconsidering its plans for the documentary. The studio controls the film’s worldwide rights outside North America after acquiring the project several years ago, but it has not announced a release date or communicated a clear distribution strategy to the filmmaking team.
Two people familiar with the situation, who were not authorized to speak publicly, said that no final decision has been made and that several outcomes remain possible. However, they believe Universal may ultimately decide not to release the film and could return the rights to Gibney and his producing partners.
When asked about its plans for Musk, a Universal representative declined to comment.
The uncertainty comes as the documentary prepares for its U.S. theatrical release through independent distributor Bleecker Street and a scheduled appearance at the London Film Festival next month. Such events would normally provide an opportunity for an international studio to coordinate releases in the United Kingdom and other European territories. Universal, however, has not announced corresponding plans for the film.
Gibney also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If Universal ultimately chooses not to release Musk, the decision would represent a significant reversal from the studio’s earlier commitment to the project. It would also come at a time when major media companies are facing increased scrutiny over their relationships with political figures and administrations.
The situation follows several recent cases in which entertainment and news organizations have faced criticism over decisions involving politically sensitive projects and disputes connected to the Trump administration. Amazon, for example, abandoned plans to release Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial after its business relationship with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman became a factor in the project’s future. Meanwhile, ABC News and Paramount/CBS News each agreed to multimillion-dollar settlements involving lawsuits brought by the Trump administration, despite legal experts cited in reporting questioning the strength of those cases.
According to a person familiar with the structure of the Musk deal, Universal would have to pay the filmmakers a kill fee if it decides not to release the documentary. The filmmakers would then be free to sell the film to another distributor, potentially giving the project another opportunity to reach audiences while also allowing Universal to exit its original distribution commitment.
There appears to be considerable international interest in the documentary. Distributors in several territories have reportedly been closely watching the project since it began attracting attention through promotional coverage and its festival appearances in Venice and Toronto. Because Universal had already acquired the international rights, interested distributors previously had little opportunity to pursue the film. If those rights return to the filmmakers, however, the documentary could quickly attract new buyers.
The political content of Musk is likely to make the distribution situation particularly sensitive. Gibney’s documentary examines Musk’s influence, his relationship with Donald Trump and his role in the U.S. government during his time working with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Among its more controversial allegations is the suggestion that information collected during Musk’s DOGE involvement could potentially be used in connection with future U.S. elections. The documentary features Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning AI researcher, discussing the possibility of election manipulation through artificial intelligence and the collection of detailed information about American citizens.
“It’s fairly clear to me that Trump is hell-bent on corrupting the midterm elections,” Hinton says in the film. He goes on to argue that access to extensive information about U.S. citizens could theoretically provide the foundation for using AI to influence elections, pointing to DOGE’s activities as an example of how such information might have been gathered.
The documentary also examines Musk’s relationship with influential figures in the Trump administration, including Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr. Carr has publicly defended Musk in the past, while his agency has dealt with regulatory matters involving Musk’s businesses.
The FCC currently has significant regulatory authority over the media industry and has also been involved in an investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal concerning its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. That has contributed to concerns among some observers that a decision by a Comcast-owned company involving a documentary critical of Musk could carry broader political and regulatory implications.
Universal acquired the international rights to Musk in 2023 for a multimillion-dollar sum. At the time, the political environment surrounding Musk was considerably different. Musk had not yet formally aligned himself with Trump in the way he later would, while the current administration and its allies had not yet reached their present positions of influence.
Musk himself has repeatedly criticized Gibney’s documentary, describing it as a “hit piece” and calling it “boring.” There is no indication that Musk has actually watched the finished film. His attorney, Alex Spiro, has also sent a letter to Gibney’s production company putting the filmmakers “on notice,” adding another layer of potential legal pressure surrounding the documentary.
For the filmmakers, the situation is particularly notable because Musk has continued to attract major industry attention despite the controversy. Its lengthy running time and politically charged subject matter have not prevented it from becoming a major talking point on the international festival circuit.
The film’s North American television and streaming rights are controlled separately by HBO, which acquired them in 2023. HBO reportedly encouraged Gibney to continue filming after Musk became involved with the Trump administration in Washington and provided additional financing to expand the documentary.
For now, HBO continues to move forward with the project. However, the future of its eventual release could also become more complicated because of Warner Bros. Discovery’s proposed sale to David Ellison. Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, is briefly mentioned in Musk in an unfavorable context, creating a potential additional complication if the acquisition is completed.
Under the existing arrangement, HBO could not air the documentary until at least February because the filmmakers retain a four-month pay-per-view video-on-demand window. By that point, David Ellison could potentially already be in control of Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO.
For Universal, the immediate question remains whether it will proceed with its international distribution commitment or return the rights to the filmmakers. No final decision has been announced. Regardless of what the studio ultimately decides, the strong response in Venice and the continuing international interest suggest that Musk is unlikely to disappear from the public conversation.
