The most anticipated doc of the fall festival season has got to be Alex Gibney’s “Musk,” which is dated for theatrical release on October 16, 2026.
Gibney’s documentary, which he has been working on for four years, examines Elon Musk, one of the world’s most influential and controversial business figures. Bleecker describes “Musk” as an epic investigation into the man behind the public persona.
“Musk” is having its world premiere at Venice in September and will then screen at TIFF a little over a week later. Furthermore, the film clocks in at four hours, and Thom Powers, head of the docs section at TIFF, now confirms that the film has an intermission.
“Musk” was actually supposed to premiere at Cannes in 2025, but Gibney delayed the debut as new developments continued to emerge and additional footage was added. This doc has been a flat-out obsession for Gibney since 2022.
Bleecker is so high on “Musk” that they not only think it can compete in the Documentary Feature category, but plans are also in motion to mount an Oscar campaign in all eligible categories, including, yes, Best Picture — a rare and ambitious push, as no documentary has ever received a nomination in the Academy’s top category.
I doubt this was ever supposed to be four hours, but the scope kept expanding as Musk’s public image continued to evolve in real time.
Gibney, known for high-profile investigations and cautionary portraits such as “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “Taxi to the Dark Side,” has long focused on powerful figures and institutions. Gibney also directed the 2020 documentary “Totally Under Control,” which examined the Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Musk” will be yet another political doc for him.
In case you’re too curious to wait, here’s the leaked teaser for Jeremy Saulnier’s “Slayground” that’s currently being shown in theaters, and it plays hard.