Bleecker Street has just released the teaser-trailer for Alex Gibney's upcoming documentary, 'Musk,' and it's clear this film won't be pulling any punches. The initial moments of the trailer highlight voices celebrating Elon Musk, with one enthusiast even declaring him “the greatest capitalist in history!” However, this praise is swiftly overshadowed by a chorus of harsher observations from those who know or observe the tech mogul.

Critiques in the teaser range from describing Musk as “chaotic, random, capricious” to the more pointed assertion that “He is manifestly cruel and selfish.” Another voice ominously notes, “In a science fiction novel, he would not be a hero.” These snippets promise a deep and critical examination of the SpaceX, Tesla, Starlink, and X owner.

While the trailer itself isn't directly embeddable here, it paints a vivid picture of the documentary's tone.

Gibney's film, clocking in at just under four hours, is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival before heading to the Toronto Film Festival. The director and Musk have already clashed publicly on X/Twitter, with Musk famously calling Gibney a “douche,” to which Gibney playfully retorted, “Douché.”

Gibney is renowned as one of the documentary world's most respected figures, an Oscar winner known for incisive works like 'Taxi to the Dark Side,' 'Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,' 'Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,' 'Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,' and 'Zero Days.' His track record suggests 'Musk' will be a thoroughly researched and thought-provoking piece.

Interestingly, Gibney's work is backed by another billionaire, Wendy Schmidt, who acquired a controlling interest in his production company, Jigsaw Productions, in 2025.

Bleecker Street aims for a theatrical release for 'Musk' on October 16, followed by its debut on HBO premium cable and the HBO Max streaming platform. The film is widely anticipated to be a strong contender for Academy Award recognition.

In a 2024 appearance on Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, Gibney offered a preview of his approach to the film. “He is a larger-than-life figure,” Gibney stated, acknowledging Musk's polarizing presence. “People have their opinions about him, but I think the challenge… is to bring something that people don’t expect to find, something in the material that’s hiding, some stuff that’s hiding in plain sight, which is what I’d say we are finding that I think will be surprising for folks.”

He emphasized that his goal wasn't a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down portrayal. “It’s not just like, is it Elon thumbs up or Elon thumbs down? I’m not really interested in that kind of formula, douche or not. But it’s more like, what do we really think about how he operates? And I’m pretty confident that what we’re coming up with will be illuminating and also kind of formally innovative. We’re really going to have fun with this.”