Ashlee Vance Shares That SpaceX Miniseries May Not Happen at HBO, Looking for New Opportunities: Concerns About Creating Content on Elon Musk
A planned limited series centered on Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been officially canceled by HBO. This news was announced by author Ashlee Vance on Wednesday, who noted that the adaptation of his 2017 book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, "has died" at the network but expressed a desire to find it a new home.
Vance shared his sentiments on the Musk-owned platform X, stating, “Well, it’s super sad, but this long-running project with HBO has died. We were going to make a dramatized series about the early days of @elonmusk and @SpaceX. Had some wonderful scripts. They were smart and funny and true to life. I imagine it would have been a massive hit.”
He elaborated on the challenges in Hollywood, mentioning that HBO encountered difficulties maintaining the project’s momentum. “People also seem afraid to make something about Elon. As a result, the IP rights on my biography have reverted to me. If there are serious offers out there to make something amazing, my mind and inbox are open,” Vance added.
An HBO representative declined to comment on the cancellation.
The project had been in development since October 2020, with Channing Tatum’s Free Association attached as a producer. Sources indicate that HBO had passed on the project years ago, although the specific timing of Vance’s announcement remains unclear.
The series was set to be penned by Doug Jung and aimed to chronicle Musk’s journey as he selected a team of engineers to construct and launch the first manned SpaceX rocket, the Falcon 9, into orbit on May 30, 2020.
Since the project’s inception, Musk’s profile has continued to rise, marked by his involvement in various endeavors, including campaigning for President Donald Trump and a brief tenure as head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
