You would be hard-pressed to find a more controversial figure on the world stage in 2026 than Elon Musk.
The trillionaire has built some of the largest multinational corporations in the world, shaped early public perceptions of electric vehicles and private space travel (it’s easy to forget simpler times when his association with clean energy made him more enemies on the right than the left), and generated unprecedented valuations in the stock market. Despite his powerful positions, Musk has also embraced the role of internet troll, using his massive online platforms to spew erratic, seemingly contradictory positions and frequently whip his army of followers into a frenzy. And that’s all without wading into his bigger, more recent controversies like his purchase of Twitter (which he renamed X), his aggressive support for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and his oversight of the administration’s short-lived Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
That should all give documentarian Alex Gibney plenty of material to work with in his upcoming film “Musk,” which is premiering at the Venice International Film Festival and will go on to screen in Toronto. The filmmaker is no stranger to controversial subject matter, having made films about Enron, Vladimir Putin, and the Church of Scientology in the past. The documentary, which runs nearly four hours in length, could be one of the most talked-about nonfiction films of the upcoming award season.
An official synopsis for the film describes it as: “An incisive look behind the legend of Elon Musk, the world’s most heralded ‘inventor-entrepreneur’ who has enormous influence on the world in which we all live.”
That promise of a sprawling look at Musk’s vast business and political career and the way it has shaped life in 2026 aligns with comments made by Anonymous Content CEO Darren Walker in a recent interview with IndieWire, in which he stressed that the film’s broad approach justifies its existence amid so much other content about Musk. “Other reportage will look at one thing,” Powers said. “It’ll look at X, or SpaceX, or Tesla. Alex is doing something on a more epic scale. That is why the film needs and deserves the length that it has: over three and a half hours.”
“Musk” is produced by Anonymous Content, Jigsaw Productions, Double Agent, and Closer Media.
A Bleecker Street release, “Musk” opens in theaters on Friday, October 16. Watch the first teaser below.