The independent U.S. production and distribution company A24 has recently earned a reputation as one of the most exciting and artistically challenging names within the industry. The company’s work within the horror genre in recent years has rightly earned them well deserved praise. Now A24 is setting forth yet another challenge for itself, as it has been announced that an Elon Musk biopic is in development with Darren Aronofsky on board to direct.
Originally reported by Puck, a representative for A24 has confirmed that the upcoming biopic about the controversial tech mogul, will be based on an authorized biography penned by Walter Isaacson. Isaacson‘s work, Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, was published in September, and will serve as the basis for the screenplay. While it covers much of the SpaceX CEO’s personal life, his other interests, such as pressing issues like space exploration, sustainable energy and artificial intelligence, are also given a deeper dive. Reports suggest that the bidding war for Isaacson‘s book was heated between studios and filmmakers, with A24 ultimately winning out. Isaacson’s 2011 biography of Steve Jobs inspired the 2015 Oscar-nominated film of the same name. The film was directed by Danny Boyle with Michael Fassbender starring as the Apple CEO.
When this latest biopic comes to fruition, it will mark Aronofsky‘s second homegrown project at A24. The filmmaker and A24, were behind last year’s Oscar contender, The Whale. Starring Brendan Fraser in the lead role, with the actor going on to claim the Oscar for Best Actor. Aronofsky‘s filmmaking has been described as uncanny, and his credits include Requiem for a Dream, 2011’s Black Swan which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, and Mother in 2017. The filmmaker’s most recent work is Postcards from Earth. Aronofsky‘s working relation with A24 has seen the company purchase the rights for his debut venture, Pi (1998). To commemorate its 25th anniversary, the film was re-released in IMAX format in select theaters earlier in the year.
The Controversial Tech Mogul
Very few individuals are more famous than Musk on the planet, and very few are as controversial. Depending on which side of the socio-cultural debate one leans, you either loathe him or adore him. In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX, a spacecraft manufacturing company that would propel him to worldwide fame. In addition to investing in Tesla early on, he eventually climbed the ranks to become chairman (a position from which he stepped down in 2018), product architect, and company CEO. In more recent moves, Mr. Musk decided to purchase the social media platform, Twitter for $44 billion before rebranding it into X. In the aftermath of the purchase, several of the tech mogul’s decisions have drawn public ire, including charging them for verification status and laying off many of the company’s employees. Valued at a net worth exceeding $200 billion as of October, Elon Musk is the wealthiest man on the planet.
via Collider