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Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney claims that Elon Musk has not reached out to him directly despite publicly criticizing his new film about the tech entrepreneur. Speaking at the Toronto Film Festival, the Oscar-winning director stated he attempted to contact Musk following the billionaire’s social media attacks but received no response. Gibney revealed that his team made numerous formal attempts to reach Musk during the production process, which also went unanswered.
Musk launched his critique of the four-hour documentary on X shortly after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. He accused Gibney of lacking integrity and suggested the film relied solely on interviews with people holding grudges against him. Additionally, Musk’s legal representative sent a cease-and-desist letter to Gibney’s production company, threatening defamation litigation over specific content in the film.
The legal threat centers on an exchange involving Ashley St. Clair, a former political influencer and mother of Musk’s child, who shared text messages from Musk containing cryptic references to “lasers in space.” Musk’s attorney argued this exchange misleadingly suggests his Starlink satellites were involved in election interference. Gibney’s company countered that First Amendment protections allow them to examine public figures critically, stating independent fact-checkers and legal experts reviewed the material.
The documentary is scheduled for theatrical release this October before streaming on HBO Max. Gibney expressed concerns about potential distribution obstacles given ongoing corporate consolidations involving the platform’s parent company.
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Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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