"Musk Calls Nolan a Racist... Vows to Create 'Odyssey' Featuring Only White Actors"

Musk: "Odyssey Will Be Produced with Grok by Year-End"

"Cast Chosen for Awards" After Black and Transgender Actors Featured

Academics Counter: "How Can Myths Be Verified for Accuracy?"

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who has been attacking the film 'Odyssey' for half a year for casting transgender and Black actors, has declared that he will directly produce a movie using artificial intelligence (AI).

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX. Reuters Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on the 24th, on the 22nd (local time), Musk posted on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "Before the year ends, Grok Imagine will create a feature film 'Odyssey' that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer." 'Grok Imagine' is a generative AI video creation tool developed by xAI, a company founded by Musk.

Together with this post, Musk reposted a three-minute video of 'Odyssey' produced by a user with Grok Imagine. The video depicts Odysseus' journey returning home after the Trojan War, overcoming various hardships and temptations. All the characters in the video are portrayed as white.

Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey', the film targeted by Musk, was released on the 17th. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway plays his wife Penelope. Zendaya features as Athena, and Charlize Theron takes the role of Circe, while Robert Pattinson and Jon Bernthal are also in the cast.

Director Christopher Nolan's new film 'Odyssey' AP Yonhap News

Musk’s attacks began in January. When rumors spread that Black actress Lupita Nyong'o was cast as Helen—the cause of the Trojan War—Musk posted at the time, "Nolan has lost all authenticity." He later insisted, "Nolan only wants awards," arguing that the casting was aimed at winning accolades, and in March wrote, "Nolan is an anti-white racist." He also continued to repost content accusing the film of insulting Greeks and their cultural heritage.

His attacks against transgender actor Elliot Page also originated from misinformation. When a rumor circulated that Page would play Achilles, Greece’s greatest warrior, Musk amplified posts criticizing this casting. However, Page’s actual role was later revealed to be Sinon, the character who persuaded the Trojans to bring the wooden horse inside their walls.

Director Christopher Nolan. Photo by AP Yonhap News

In an interview with the UK’s Telegraph this month, Director Nolan dismissed the controversy, stating, "Criticisms made without even watching the film are meaningless." Nyong'o also responded, pointing out that the original work is a myth and saying, "The cast reflects the world in which the movie is made today." There was also criticism within the film industry. Scott Derrickson, director of 'Doctor Strange', remarked, "Musk clearly knows nothing about cinema and must have stopped reading in his twenties," adding, "His opinions on art are worthless."

Some have pointed out that Musk's claim of 'historical accuracy' is itself unfounded. U.S. entertainment outlet Deadline noted that Homer’s epic is a work of fiction and questioned, "How could it be possible to remake this 'historically accurately'?" Financial magazine Forbes, citing reactions from classical scholars, pointed out, "Helen is a mythical figure, and ancient Greece did not have a modern concept of race."

Meanwhile, the film's box office performance has been unaffected by Musk's criticisms. In its opening weekend, it earned $124.5 million (about 184 billion won) in North America and $264 million (about 391 billion won) worldwide, marking the highest opening ever for a Nolan film. The Rotten Tomatoes score reached 98%, the CinemaScore grade was A, and audience scores reportedly surpassed those of Nolan's iconic work 'The Dark Knight.'

Previously, in a July 14th interview with the YouTube channel HugoDecrypt, Nolan likened AI to a "transparent Trojan horse," expressing his concerns about the rapid spread of AI technology.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.