Will Universal Studios, Owned by Comcast, Decide to Withhold Elon Musk Documentary?

This article was originally published in Common Dreams under Creative Commons 3.0 license. Read the original article. Contact: editor@commondreams.org

By Brad Reed

Filmmaker Alex Gibney’s scathing four-hour documentary about SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has received rave reviews since its debut at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, but it could soon be without an international distributor.

According to a Wednesday report from The Hollywood Reporter, Comcast-owned Universal Pictures, which holds distribution rights to the film outside the North American market, is getting “cold feet” about releasing it.

“The company has not dated the movie,” explained The Hollywood Reporter, “has not communicated with the filmmaking team about its plans, and generally appears to be rethinking the release of a project that it once showed high enthusiasm for but is now politically sensitive for parts of the Trump administration.”

Two sources told the publication that they wouldn’t be surprised if Universal decided to not release the movie and returned its distribution rights to the filmmakers, even though doing so would require the studio to pay a kill fee.

See also: ‘Money Won’t Matter in 2036’: Elon Musk on the Diminishing Value of Money in an AI-Driven Economy

The Hollywood Reporter noted, however, that it’s unlikely that the film would be without an international distributor for long because “distributors in individual countries have been salivating over the film ever since the four-hour project began gaining buzz in recent weeks.”

Slate culture writer Sam Adams pointed out in a social media post that independent distributor Bleecker Street “is holding steady on releasing Musk in the US, and actually moved up the opening to October 9.”

See also: Trillionaire Elon Musk’s Destruction of USAID Takes Food Aid From Millions Facing Deadly Hunger

Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster Brian Webber noted that there is past precedent for Hollywood studios coming under pressure to not release a movie that is critical of a wealthy oligarch.

“William Randolph Hearst famously tried to... suppress Citizen Kane from being released,” Webber explained in a social media post. “Hollywood had more guts in the 1940s—probably because there was real competition among the studios and not today’s oligopoly problem.”

Tech journalist Karl Bode reacted with dismay to news that Universal might spike its release of the documentary.

“Have I mentioned lately that oligarch-owned media consolidation is bad?” he asked rhetorically.

[KS]

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