Alex Gibney, director of a four-hour documentary about Elon Musk, disclosed that Universal Pictures, which holds international distribution rights to the film, experienced hesitation regarding its release outside North America. The revelation came as the documentary opened in the United States through independent distributor Bleecker Street.
When questioned by the New York Times about whether Universal had wavered on international release planning, Gibney confirmed that it had. The Hollywood Reporter had previously reported that Universal, which acquired international rights in 2023, had developed reservations about the project. A subsequent Variety report suggested Universal’s concerns stemmed from potential legal threats associated with Musk, though the studio maintained it remained enthusiastic about the film’s international distribution.
Gibney responded to questions about legal clearances by stating that multiple considerations could be addressed simultaneously. He indicated that recent discussions with Universal had yielded concrete progress, noting the studio was actively developing a release strategy for international markets.
The documentary’s path has included conflict with its subject. Producer Jessie Deeter, who worked with Musk on two previous films, made multiple attempts to secure an interview with Musk for this project. Musk responded by posting criticism on X, the social media platform owned by his company SpaceXAI, characterizing Gibney negatively. Following the film’s premiere at the Venice film festival, Musk issued further public criticism, describing the documentary as a “hit piece that misses” and signaling potential legal action.
Universal declined additional comment, reiterating a previous statement asserting the company remained committed to releasing the film with unchanged plans.
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