Grok pledges its own AI-made Odyssey film after Nolan feud
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Elon Musk's public feud with Christopher Nolan's blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey has culminated in a pledge that his AI chatbot Grok will produce its own "historically accurate" feature-length version of Homer's epic before the end of 2026. Musk announced the plan on X, sharing a three-minute AI-generated short made using the Grok Imagine tool, capping months of criticism he has levelled at Nolan's film over its casting and perceived "woke" agenda, despite historians noting that Homer's work is itself a fictional epic rather than a historical record.
Musk's objections began in January with reports that Lupita Nyong'o would play Helen of Troy, and by May he had endorsed a racially charged comment from a far-right commentator attacking her casting. He also condemned rumours that trans actor Elliot Page would play Achilles, though Page in fact plays a different character, Sinon, in Nolan's film. Judging by the clip shared so far, Musk's version appears to feature an all-white cast, and given that Nolan's Odyssey was shot entirely on Imax film with extensive practical effects and has performed strongly at the box office, commentators suggest Grok's AI-generated take is unlikely to rival it.
- Musk vows Grok AI will make a rival Odyssey film by end of 2026.
- Move follows his months-long feud with Nolan over casting choices.
- Nolan's Odyssey remains a box-office hit shot on Imax film.
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Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter) and its AI chatbot Grok, has been feuding for months with film director Christopher Nolan over Nolan's big-budget adaptation of The Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic by Homer. The row centres on casting, particularly the decision to cast Lupita Nyong'o, a Black actor, as Helen of Troy, which Musk has publicly criticised.
Nolan's film has already been released to strong reviews and box office success, shot largely using Imax cameras with little computer-generated imagery. Musk's Grok, an AI tool developed by his company xAI, includes a feature called Grok Imagine that can generate video from text prompts, and Musk has now said he wants it to create a rival film version of the same story.
The dispute touches on wider debates about diversity in casting for stories drawn from ancient history and mythology, as well as the growing use of AI to generate film and video content. It also reflects Musk's history of using his social media platform to publicly challenge other public figures and projects he disagrees with.
More coverage
- Far Out — Elon Musk unveils plans for Grok to make an AI ‘The Odyssey’ movie “before this year ends”
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Elon Musk Says Grok Will Make Feature-Length, AI-Generated and “Historically Accurate” ‘The Odyssey’ Movie Before the Year Ends”.