Alex Gibney Preps Four-Hour Elon Musk Documentary for Venice and HBO

Documentarian Alex Gibney is heading to the Venice Film Festival with *Musk*, an expansive four-hour portrait examining the rise, power and corporate reach of tech executive Elon Musk. Following its festival world premiere, the project will head into theatres ahead of a planned television release on HBO in 2027, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.

The feature represents an unvarnished critical assessment of the world's wealthiest individual. Speaking to THR from his editing suite, Gibney characterized Musk as an increasingly unrestrained figure whose accumulating leverage has eroded his personal and professional boundaries.

"As he accretes more power, he's no longer interested in checking his worst impulses," Gibney told the outlet. The filmmaker also relayed an observation from an unnamed former colleague of Musk, quoting the source as saying the billionaire is "the most miserable man I've ever met" and is now "inflicting his misery on everyone else."

## Long-Lead Rollout Strategy

High-profile investigative portraits of polarizing contemporary titans remain a staple of the premium non-fiction marketplace. However, the lengthy runway leading to a 2027 HBO release underscores a distribution model designed to build critical pedigree through festival exposure and theatrical positioning prior to its small-screen debut.

Gibney, who took an Oscar for *Taxi to the Dark Side* and previously directed hard-hitting exposés such as *Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room* and *Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief*, brings a seasoned investigative approach to Musk's commercial ventures and cultural impact.

THR journalist Steven Zeitchik is the sole reporter to have viewed the project thus far as Gibney finalizes the edit. The documentary is expected to become one of the most closely watched non-fiction titles on the upcoming international festival circuit.