Universal Reportedly Poised to Shelve Alex Gibney's Elon Musk Documentary

According to two anonymous sources who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal Pictures is likely to forgo the release of Alex Gibney's documentary titled Musk. The studio had previously secured global rights outside North America three years ago for a substantial sum but has yet to announce a release date or inform the filmmakers of its intentions. A spokesperson for Universal declined to provide any comments. The documentary debuted at the Venice Film Festival this month, receiving a five-minute standing ovation, and is set to be featured at the London Film Festival next month before its U.S. theatrical release by Bleecker Street. Should Universal decide to withdraw, they would be liable for a kill fee, allowing the filmmakers to resell the rights. The documentary suggests that Musk may leverage data from his DOGE period against Democrats in the upcoming U.S. elections and features insights from Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton. Musk has criticized the film as a "hit piece" and "boring," with his attorney Alex Spiro sending a notice to Gibney's production team. HBO possesses North American TV and streaming rights and might broadcast the film as early as February, although a potential sale of Warner Bros. Discovery to David Ellison introduces complications. Universal's reluctance mirrors similar decisions made by Amazon, ABC News, and Paramount/CBS News amidst political pressures.