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Musk Sues Over New Documentary at Venice Film Festival
Confirmed
In Short: Despite the disagreements over the motivations behind the documentary, both The Hollywood Reporter and BBC (United Kingdom) agree that the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and that Musk's attorney sent a letter alleging false claims.
Elon Musk's attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to the filmmakers of 'Musk,' alleging that the documentary contains false information, specifically regarding Musk's alleged influence on the 2024 election through his Starlink satellites, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday and runs for nearly four hours, with a 10-minute intermission, as reported by BBC (United Kingdom).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spiro's letter states, 'You are on notice, before release, that the insinuation is false, that the material refuting it is public, and that you chose not to be told the rest.'
Gibney, in an interview with the Associated Press, said that Musk did not participate in the making of the documentary, which includes interviews with Musk's former romantic partners, such as ex-wife Justine Musk and former conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair.
Ashley St. Clair claims in the film that Musk said he was going to 'unleash the anomaly in the matrix' via his '10,000 lasers in space,' as reported by Rolling Stone.
Gibney told the Associated Press that Musk's behavior left those who know him terrified, and that his team made multiple attempts to contact Musk during production.
In a series of posts on X/Twitter, Musk accused Gibney of having 'zero integrity' and being a 'bitter old man who lost the plot long ago,' and alleged that the film was a 'psy op,' as reported by Deadline.
The documentary, which will be released in theaters by Bleecker Street on October 16, according to Thenews (Pakistan), explores Musk's political shift toward President Donald Trump, a move that surprised many who had previously viewed Musk as environmentally minded due to his leadership at Tesla.
Ibtimes (Australia) reported that Gibney's research pointed to two underlying motivations for Musk's political shift, which he initially underestimated.
The documentary examines Musk's rise and influence, including his work at Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, as well as his controversial statements and actions.
The documentary's length and the attempts to contact Musk during production are confirmed by multiple sources, including The Hollywood Reporter, BBC (United Kingdom), and Associated Press.
The conclusion is that despite the legal threats and accusations, the documentary remains a comprehensive exploration of Elon Musk's life and work, with a focus on his controversial political shift and his influence on technology and social media.
What this adds
The documentary's premiere at the Venice Film Festival and its length are confirmed by multiple sources, including The Hollywood Reporter and BBC (United Kingdom).
The motivations behind Musk's political shift are detailed in Ibtimes (Australia) but not confirmed by other sources.
Background
Tony Gilroy's drama 'Behemoth!' starring Pedro Pascal premiered as the Centerpiece of the New York Film Festival's 64th edition.
What's confirmed
- Ashley St. Clair—who has previously spoken about her participation in the doc —claims in the film, per THR, that Musk said he was going to “unleash the anomaly in the matrix,” via his “10,000 lasers in space,” which, well, does sound like something we’d expect him to say based on his posting.
- Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, Gibney said his team made multiple attempts to contact Musk during production of Musk, the nearly four-hour documentary that premiered earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival.
What's still developing
- Not content to just post through it, Elon Musk is getting lawyers involved.
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- "It's a great concern," Gibney said, citing what he described as an increasingly concentrated media industry.
- A teaser trailer for an upcoming, four-hour long documentary on billionaire Elon Musk can’t seem to make up its mind about the controversial Tesla owner — calling him both the “greatest” and a “fascist” all in one 49-second clip.
- “A short recap of his handiwork: Tesla popularized electric vehicles; Starlink expanded the reach of the internet; Twitter bowed to his takeover; and DOGE radically transformed the US government,” it continues.
- “While we are ardent supporters of the First Amendment, and respect the reporting process, it has become abundantly clear that the motivations behind this piece are not the pursuit of truth, but something far different. This project did not begin as an inquiry. It began with a conclusion,” Spiro wrote.
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- The 26-year-old had a major falling out with the entrepreneur, going as far as to allege that the billionaire “financially retaliated” against her for filing a custody petition by reducing child support payments.
- Filmmaker Alex Gibney said he still hasn’t heard from Elon Musk after the tech billionaire ranted about Gibney’s new four-hour documentary, Musk, and his legal team threatened to file a defamation lawsuit over the film.
- 13, Gibney said he “reached out immediately” to Musk, adding, “But he clearly wasn’t interested in talking” (via The Hollywood Reporter ).