Independent studio A24 won a bidding war to produce a biopic about SpaceX founder Elon Musk, directed by the highly acclaimed Darron Aronofsky.
The script will be based on Walter Isaacson’s biography of Musk, which was published in September and received unflattering reviews from critics. He followed Musk for two years, attending meetings, touring his companies, and interviewing friends, family, and colleagues.
Isaacson, a former chief executive officer for CNN, is known for his biographies of Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, and Einstein. His biography of Steve Jobs was loosely adapted for the silver screen in a 2015 film directed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet.
Deciding which studio would get the rights to Isaacson’s biography was competitive, according to Puck, but A24 managed to secure the project. The film is in development, and A24 has yet to select a writer or make any casting choices, though a Reddit thread has some ideas, such as Nicholas Cage, Robert Downey Jr, and Musk himself.
Aronofsky is the talented director behind The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser, who won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Black Swan, which earned him an Oscar nomination for best director. He is a talented director with a unique eye and is likely to put his own spin on Musk’s controversial life story.
Elon Musk took to X on Friday, posting, “Glad Darren is doing it. He is one of the best.”
The project hasn’t been finalized yet and could still fizzle out, but that seems unlikely considering Hollywood’s renewed interest in biopics and Musk’s tendency to make headlines. Details of the film are being kept under wraps.
Making a film covering his life and career seems like odd timing when Musk’s companies, SpaceX and Tesla Motors, are still making significant strides, and the billionaire himself is likely a long way from retirement.