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"Musk" is almost four hours long and premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier last Tuesday. It's also slated for a theatrical release in the U.S. on October 16, and will begin streaming on HBO next year. Elon reportedly has yet to actually see the documentary, but his attorney has already sent production an angry letter. From the Hollywood Reporter:

The letter — confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter — focuses on what Spiro says is an insinuation in the film that Musk used his Starlink satellites to somehow influence the 2024 presidential election to boost Donald Trump.

"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," Spiro wrote Jigsaw Productions on Sept. 3.

Musk's former partner Ashley St. Clair claims in the film that Musk told her before the election that he was going to "unleash the anomaly in the matrix," and that he has "10,000 lasers in space."

Spiro notes that "Starlink was not connected to vote tabulation. Election officials in multiple states, independent cybersecurity researchers, and fact-checkers publicly refuted the Starlink vote-rigging claim in November 2024, and nothing since has revived it." The attorney added, "Defamation does not require an express accusation."

The letter ends with the statement, "We therefore have no choice but to put you on formal legal notice regarding your upcoming 'piece' and to reserve all rights. Our door is open if you decide to check your facts with the people who know them. If not, we will proceed accordingly."

Sounding the warning bell

Elon has, of course, been tweeting through it. Oh, and while you're over there, take a few minutes to catch up on his more recent Twitter activity. We all know he's a Republican, but unless you actively monitor his posts, you probably aren't prepared for just how vile some of this stuff actually is. So it isn't terribly surprising that an objective look into Elon's life would be less than flattering. The damaging information is out there, publicly! Or, at least, information that should be damaging.

The filmmaker isn't backing down, though, in part because we aren't talking about some random guy making his first documentary. "Musk" comes from Alex Gibney, the same guy behind "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room," "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," and "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley." Elon may have a lot of money, but Gibney took on Scientology and came out just fine. He can probably handle a clammy billionaire whose children have disowned him. 

In his production company's response to Musk's legal threat, Gibney didn't miss the chance to emphasize Musk's hypocrisy either:

Alex Gibney's films are consistently recognized for their in-depth, fact-driven explorations of influential figures and corporations, coupled with his bold and engaging directorial style. This approach has garnered him international praise, an Academy Award among other accolades, and a reputation that The Times of London recently lauded as the 'gold standard for fearless journalistic integrity.' The right to engage in open debate and fact-based examinations of powerful public figures is protected by the first amendment — something that should be recognized and defended by all Americans, including the associates of Elon Musk, who has proclaimed himself to be a 'free speech absolutist.'

Gibney reportedly tried to get Musk to participate in the documentary, which he's been working on since 2022, but Musk refused, saying in 2023 it would be a "hit piece." That said, Gibney doesn't deny the documentary makes Musk look bad. He just insists that's the truth, telling the Hollywood Reporter, "People assume because he's very rich that he's not crazy. But the terrifying thing might be that he's crazy and he's very rich and powerful. That's the warning bell the film sounds."