Musk Trailer Reveals Alex Gibney's Four-Hour Elon Musk Documentary

Bleecker Street has released the trailer for Musk, Alex Gibney's nearly four-hour documentary about Elon Musk, ahead of its October 9, 2026 theatrical release. The film arrives after festival screenings in Venice and Toronto and after Musk publicly attacked Gibney's work in replies on X.

Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reported on the documentary and its trailer, which runs about two and a half minutes and plays over David Byrne's original song "Let Me Sell You a Dream." Musk had no involvement in the film.

Musk documentary key facts

Field	Detail
Director	Alex Gibney
Subject	Elon Musk
Runtime	Almost four hours
Distributor	Bleecker Street
Theatrical release	October 9, 2026
Festival premiere	September 8, 2026 at the Venice International Film Festival

Musk premiered out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8, where it received a four-minute standing ovation. It later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. The project is the new documentary from Gibney, whose previous work includes Taxi to the Dark Side and Going Clear.

What the Musk trailer shows

The trailer opens with Musk asking, "What are the odds that we're in base reality? Like, we are in a simulation." Gibney responds to that simulation theory through the construction of the film itself, turning his unwilling subject into a digital avatar and having the avatar mouth words Musk actually said. The avatar does not appear in the trailer.

Across roughly two and a half minutes, the trailer moves through several subjects addressed by the documentary. They include Musk's visions of Mars, a Tesla allegedly responsible for the death of an innocent person, and the women Musk recruited to help him populate the planet by having his offspring.

The trailer also includes a whistleblower revealing what it presents as a potentially damning text Musk sent on the night of the 2024 election. Reviews from critics who saw Musk after its Venice and Toronto screenings appear throughout the trailer. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney is quoted as writing that the film had "a clarity that makes his conclusions hard to refute."

DOGE period becomes the documentary's centerpiece

The centerpiece of Musk is his arrival in Washington, D.C. and his four-month stint as head of DOGE. The documentary alleges that cuts involving USAID and other programs resulted in extensive job losses, while also raising questions about the amount of data Musk and his team may have taken during that period. citeturn903286view3

The film explores the overlap between Musk's business interests and government oversight during those four months. Wired leader Katie Drummond says in the trailer, "The conflicts of interest are shocking." The documentary presents the government period and questions surrounding access to data as a central part of its examination of Musk's time in Washington. citeturn903286view3

That material was not part of Gibney's original project at the same scale. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker had already spent two years making a two-hour film about Musk before Musk arrived in Washington. His move into the Trump administration expanded the scope of the documentary. citeturn903286view3

How Gibney expanded Musk from two hours to nearly four

After Musk joined the Trump administration, Gibney spent another year making what amounted to a second two-hour film focused on what happened inside the Beltway. The result is a documentary running almost four hours, effectively combining the earlier examination of Musk with the later Washington chapter.

HBO, which owns the television and streaming rights in North America, called Gibney in 2024 to say it wanted more and would fund the additional work. That support allowed the filmmaker to continue building out the material that followed Musk's move into Washington and the government role that became the film's centerpiece. citeturn903286view3

The finished film therefore reflects a production process that changed alongside its subject. Gibney's initial two-year effort became the foundation for a much longer project once the Washington material was added, with another year devoted to events inside the Beltway.

Musk documentary release timeline

Date	Milestone
2024	HBO told Gibney it wanted more material and would fund the expanded documentary
September 8, 2026	Musk premiered out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival
After Venice	The documentary screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
October 9, 2026	Bleecker Street releases Musk theatrically

The Venice premiere brought the film its first major festival audience and a four-minute standing ovation. The Toronto screening followed, while Bleecker Street is handling the theatrical release. HBO holds the television and streaming rights in North America.

Elon Musk attacks Alex Gibney's documentary on X

Musk did not participate in the documentary and responded to Gibney's work through a series of replies on X. Under a video showing Gibney at a press conference for the film, Musk wrote that "dogshit is worth more respect" than the director. Variety reported the remarks after the documentary's Venice premiere. citeturn815730search4

In a separate reply, Musk claimed Gibney "just assembled a hit list of people who either have an axe to grind or don't even know me (but still have an axe to grind)", adding: "He has ZERO integrity. Horrible human." The comments put Musk's own response alongside a film made without his involvement. citeturn815730search2turn815730search4

Reviews feature in the trailer as Universal holds internal talks

The trailer incorporates reviews from critics who weighed in after the Venice and Toronto screenings, using those responses alongside footage and Byrne's original song. The Hollywood Reporter's Rooney is among the critics highlighted, with his assessment appearing directly in the trailer.

The Hollywood Reporter also reported that Universal, facing backlash over Musk, has held internal talks about keeping Gibney's documentary. That industry discussion comes as Bleecker Street prepares the film for its theatrical release and HBO retains television and streaming rights in North America.

Frequently asked questions

What is Alex Gibney's Musk documentary about?

Musk is Alex Gibney's nearly four-hour documentary about Elon Musk. The trailer highlights Musk's visions of Mars, a Tesla allegedly responsible for a death, women he recruited to have his offspring, a whistleblower's account of a 2024 election-night text, and the film's examination of his four-month stint leading DOGE.

When is the Musk documentary released and how long is it?

Bleecker Street is set to release Musk theatrically on October 9, 2026. The documentary runs almost four hours. It premiered out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8, where it received a four-minute standing ovation, and later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Did Elon Musk participate in Alex Gibney's documentary?

No. Musk had no involvement in Gibney's documentary. He responded to the project through replies on X, including writing that "dogshit is worth more respect" than Gibney and, in another response, accusing the director of assembling a "hit list" before adding: "He has ZERO integrity. Horrible human." citeturn815730search4

Why is Alex Gibney's Musk documentary nearly four hours long?

Gibney spent two years making what was initially a two-hour film before Musk arrived in Washington. After Musk joined the Trump administration, Gibney spent another year creating what amounted to a second two-hour film about events inside the Beltway. HBO, which owns North American TV and streaming rights, agreed in 2024 to fund more work. citeturn903286view3