Elon Musk vows AI remake of The Odyssey movie

By Tolulope Oke

Billionaire technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced plans to use artificial intelligence to produce what he described as a “historically accurate” full-length adaptation of The Odyssey.

Musk said his xAI video-generation tool, Grok Imagine, would complete the film before the end of 2026.

The announcement followed months of criticism from Musk over Christopher Nolan’s decision to cast Black actress Lupita Nyong’o and transgender actor Elliot Page in his blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic.

“Before this year ends, Grok Imagine will make a full-length movie of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer,” Musk wrote on X.

The 55-year-old made the declaration while responding to a three-minute AI-generated clip posted by the account Heavy Pulp.

The clip, created with Grok Imagine, featured a conversation drawn from Homer’s account of the adventures of Odysseus.

Elon Musk did not reveal the proposed film’s budget, distribution plans or whether human actors, writers and filmmakers would participate in its production.

His pledge came after he repeatedly attacked Nolan’s casting choices and accused the award-winning filmmaker of compromising the integrity of Homer’s story.

Musk previously criticised the decision to cast Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, a character traditionally described in popular Western depictions as a fair-skinned blonde.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss declared in February that “Nolan has lost his integrity” while responding to an X user who argued that Nyong’o did not match the traditional description of Helen.

The user claimed that casting an actress who did not fit that description made the story’s premise incoherent and insulted Homer’s original work.

Musk also endorsed comments by conservative commentator Matt Walsh, who attacked Nyong’o’s casting and accused Nolan of making the decision because he feared being branded a racist.

Walsh further described Nolan as a technically talented filmmaker but accused him of cowardice.

Musk’s criticism extended to Page after early speculation suggested that the actor would portray Achilles, the legendary Greek warrior.

He described the possibility of Page playing a heroic warrior as “one of the dumbest and twisted things” he had heard.

Musk also responded with a laughing emoji to an AI-generated image mocking Page by showing the actor dressed as a warrior and struggling to open a jar.

However, Page does not portray Achilles in Nolan’s film. The actor plays Sinon, a Greek soldier associated with the Trojan Horse deception.

Nyong’o appears as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.

Musk continued his criticism in May, claiming Nolan made the casting decisions because “he wants the awards.”

His comments attracted allegations of racism and transphobia from critics who argued that filmmakers should be free to reinterpret ancient works for modern audiences.

Nolan’s The Odyssey is an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem about Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and his dangerous journey home after the Trojan War.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus, while the film’s cast also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron.

The movie proved a major commercial success despite the controversy, earning more than $264 million globally during its opening weekend.

Musk’s proposed AI remake was mocked by actor Colman Domingo while he served as a guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Domingo joked that Musk’s definition of historical accuracy meant a film that would be “whiter than Christmas at Cracker Barrel.”

He said the AI project appeared to be driven by anger over the diverse cast assembled for Nolan’s film.

Domingo also questioned how Musk could make a historically accurate version of a story filled with fictional and mythological characters.

The Odyssey includes gods, monsters, supernatural events and legendary creatures, although parts of the story are set against the backdrop of the Trojan War.

Domingo argued that demanding strict historical accuracy from the work was similar to seeking a factual version of other fictional stories.

The actor ended his criticism by questioning whether Musk had more important projects to pursue and jokingly asked why the billionaire had not yet reached Mars.

Musk has not responded publicly to Domingo’s remarks.

It also remains unclear whether Grok Imagine currently possesses the ability to create a coherent feature-length production.

The AI tool has primarily been used to generate short video clips from written prompts and images.

Producing a full-length movie would require the system to maintain consistent characters, voices, locations and story continuity across hundreds of individual scenes.

Elon Musk has frequently made ambitious predictions about the speed at which artificial intelligence will transform entertainment and other industries.

His announcement adds another dimension to the growing debate over AI’s role in filmmaking, including concerns about the future of actors, screenwriters, visual-effects artists and other creative professionals.