A new documentary about Elon Musk opens its first trailer with the kind of language that once helped turn the technology executive into a superhero figure. Within seconds, the praise gives way to a dramatically darker portrait.
The 49-second teaser for Musk includes voices describing its subject as “possibly the greatest living inventor” and a “real-life Iron Man.” By the end, another unidentified voice calls him a “fascist,” while the trailer frames the film around the extraordinary amount of power Musk has accumulated.
Written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, the nearly four-hour documentary is set to have its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 8. Bleecker Street is handling its U.S. theatrical release.
Musk did not participate in the production and has dismissed the project as a “hit piece.” Gibney, meanwhile, says he began the investigation with some admiration for Musk before the reporting changed his assessment of the man behind Tesla, SpaceX and X.
The Trailer Goes From ‘Iron Man’ to ‘Fascist’
The official teaser released by Bleecker Street uses a rocket launch to track the dramatic change in how its subject is described. The early voices celebrate Musk as an inventor, builder and “real-life Iron Man” before the commentary turns toward his unpredictability, conduct and concentration of power.
As the imagery becomes more ominous, the trailer introduces the title card “Earth’s most unchecked man” and includes the accusation that Musk is a “fascist.” The final voice heard before the spacecraft erupts in flames declares, “Elon is a nuke”.
PEOPLE reports that the finished documentary includes technology journalist Kara Swisher, author and podcaster Sam Harris and Musk’s former wife Justine Musk. The Venice Film Festival also lists Ashley St. Clair, Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, journalist Zoë Schiffer and computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton among the film’s participants.
Musk Called the Film a ‘Hit Piece’ Before Seeing It
It’s a hit piece. Gibney is incapable of anything else.
Also, 4 hours!! Is trying to bore people to death?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 6, 2026
Musk first criticized the documentary when Gibney’s project became public in March 2023, predicting on what was then Twitter that it would be a “hit piece.” Gibney responded with a short question: “How would you know?”
More than three years later, Musk renewed that criticism. He attacked Gibney and mocked the documentary’s nearly four-hour length.
Gibney Says the Leonardo da Vinci Myth Fell Apart
Gibney told The Associated Press that he entered the project as “a kind of admirer” and initially hoped Musk would agree to an interview. When that did not happen, the filmmaker continued investigating Musk’s companies, public claims and extraordinary reach.
Gibney said the reporting eventually “upended the myth” of Musk as a modern Leonardo da Vinci. In a separate AP interview, he argued that Musk’s particular talent lies less in inventing technology himself than in attracting investment and convincing people to believe in his vision of the future.
Gibney won the Academy Award for best documentary feature for Taxi to the Dark Side. His other films include Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and the Elizabeth Holmes documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.
The Film Expanded as Musk’s Political Power Grew
Gibney began working on Musk years before its Venice debut, but the project kept expanding as its subject moved deeper into American politics. The documentary examines Musk’s ownership of X, his support for President Donald Trump and his involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency.
That political story sits alongside Musk’s better-known business record. The film covers Tesla’s role in popularizing electric vehicles, SpaceX, Starlink and the transformation of Twitter after Musk acquired the platform and renamed it X.
The combination allows Gibney to focus less on a conventional rise-to-success biography than on the question of how corporate, technological and political power became concentrated around one person. Firstpost’s account of the teaser similarly highlights the gulf between Musk’s long-standing visionary image and the far harsher portrait introduced by the film.
‘Musk’ Is More Than Three and a Half Hours Long
The Venice Film Festival lists Musk at 225 minutes, followed by a 10-minute intermission. After Venice, the documentary is scheduled to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Bleecker Street will begin its U.S. theatrical rollout in select theaters on Oct. 16 before expanding nationwide Oct. 23. HBO Documentary Films previously acquired the North American television and streaming rights. No exact HBO premiere date has been announced.