Elon Musk has offered to fund a $100 million adaptation of Homer's Odyssey directed by Mel Gibson, intensifying his public campaign against Christopher Nolan's blockbuster version. The billionaire responded to a fan proposal on X, which called for a historically accurate film with authentic ships, armor, weapons, casting, and dialogue in Homeric Greek, by writing: 'I'm down.'
Musk's AI Odyssey project
Hours earlier, Musk announced that his AI platform Grok Imagine would produce a full-length Odyssey movie by year-end, claiming it would be 'historically accurate and true to the art of Homer.' He shared an AI-generated clip of Odysseus and Calypso, further escalating his rivalry with Nolan.
Criticism of Nolan's casting
Musk has repeatedly attacked Nolan's casting choices, including Black actress Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and trans star Elliot Page as Achilles. In May, he agreed with conservative commentator Matt Walsh's criticism of Nyong'o's casting, calling it 'absolutely true' and decrying 'hypocrisy in Hollywood.' Musk also called Page's casting 'one of the dumbest and most twisted things I've ever heard' and accused Nolan of 'losing his integrity.'
Nolan's film remains successful
Despite Musk's criticisms, Nolan's Odyssey, starring Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, opened to rave reviews and earned $264 million globally in its opening weekend, with a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Nyong'o dismissed the backlash, stating: 'Our cast is representative of the world.' Nolan called pre-release criticism 'irrelevant,' noting that critics hadn't seen the film.
AI vs. human creativity
Nolan has also criticized AI in filmmaking, calling the idea that it replaces human creativity 'a nonsense.' He noted that no technology has been so embraced by investors while rejected by the public. Gibson has not commented on Musk's offer, and it remains unclear if the director would accept the proposal.
