Alex Gibney says David Ellison promised HBO will air his controversial Elon Musk documentary

Elon Musk. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Alex Gibney's latest project, the Elon Musk documentary "Musk," is already in theaters. But when news broke last week that David Ellison's Paramount had officially bought Warner Bros. Discovery, the director admits he was "concerned" about the doc's future release on HBO."Musk," the unflinching and often unflattering nearly four-hour look at the richest man in the world, was produced by HBO, which is under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella. With Ellison, who once reportedly considered bringing Musk on as an equity investor in Paramount, now owning WBD, would he shut down plans to show "Musk" on HBO after its theatrical run?"I was concerned until recently," Gibney told Business Insider over a video chat on Wednesday. "I've been told that they will air it and that even David Ellison very well knows about it and promises he will air it."Gibney added that, as of now, "very specific plans" are in the works for HBO to air "Musk" sometime in January.HBO declined to comment; Skydance did not respond to a request for comment. Alex Gibney. Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images Gibney's history with HBO goes back decades and has resulted in some of the Oscar winner's most popular works, including 2015's "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief" and his 2019 Elizabeth Holmes documentary, "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley."Airing "Musk" on HBO after its theatrical release would follow the playbook of "Going Clear": After a headline-grabbing theatrical release, the Scientology documentary had a successful HBO premiere, with its opening night on the network delivering the best performance for a doc in two years."Musk" delves into the titular billionaire's life and career, focusing on his successes with Tesla and SpaceX, his controversial acquisition of Twitter, which he renamed X; his relationships with the mothers of his children, and his time in the Trump administration as the head of DOGE.Musk himself has readily voiced his displeasure with the documentary, though it's unclear if he's seen it. "Gibney just assembled a hit list of people who either have an axe to grind or don't even know me (but still have an axe to grind)," Musk wrote on X. He has ZERO integrity. Horrible human." "Musk" is in theaters nationwide through Bleecker Street. Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Jason Guerrasio is an award-winning entertainment correspondent at Business Insider and has covered various aspects of the film industry for over two decades. On the site, his reporting can range from what's going on behind the scenes at some of the biggest companies in Hollywood, colorful interviews with some of the most well-known names in entertainment, and exploring the darker side of the industry.In 2020, Jason received the New York Press Club award and Los Angeles Press Club award for his story on the rise and fall of MoviePass. It has since been made into the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash."Previous to BI, Jason was the managing editor at Filmmaker Magazine, one of the leading publications in the independent film industry. He's also written for numerous publications over the years, including Vanity Fair, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Variety, and indieWire.Popular ArticlesMary Carole McDonnell built a true-crime empire. Then the FBI came for her. Growing up Marvel: The tormented life of Stan Lee's child, JC LeeA bullet. A legend. A lie. Bufford Pusser killed his wife, authorities say. What happens to his legacy now? Movies Musk Elon Musk More HBO Exclusive Documentary