Elon Musk has announced that his artificial intelligence tool Grok Imagine will make a feature film based on The Odyssey which, in his own words, will be “historically accurate” and faithful to Homer’s work. The entrepreneur made his intention public through his social network, X (formerly Twitter), where he stated yesterday that the project will be finished before the end of 2026.
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Musk’s message accompanied a three-minute short film generated with artificial intelligence about the Greek epic poem, originally published by another X user. “Before the end of this year, Grok Imagine will make a full film of The Odyssey that will be historically accurate and faithful to Homer’s art,” the magnate wrote, placing the production’s premiere before the year concludes.
The statement has raised questions, as The Odyssey, written nearly 2,800 years ago, is a work of fiction that includes mythological elements such as a cyclops, six-headed monsters, or the sorceress Circe, capable of transforming sailors into pigs. Therefore, the idea of a “historically accurate” adaptation, whether made using artificial intelligence or conventional cinematographic techniques, will predictably be subject to debate.
Musk’s statements come after months of criticism directed at the film adaptation of the epic poem directed by Christopher Nolan. Before the film’s premiere, the entrepreneur questioned several casting decisions and, in March, called the filmmaker an “anti-white racist” for the choice of Lupita Nyong’o to play Helen of Troy, asserting that she had been hired because “he wanted the awards.”
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The entrepreneur also endorsed transphobic posts directed against Elliot Page, whom some initially pointed to as a possible interpreter of Achilles. It was later confirmed that the actor played Sinon. Although Musk has not detailed what the cast of his future version will be like, the short film shared on X presents an artificial intelligence-generated cast composed exclusively of white characters, which, according to Variety, would seem to fit the entrepreneur’s preferences.
While Musk maintains his criticism of Nolan’s production, the film has become a significant success for Universal. In its opening weekend, it grossed 264 million dollars worldwide, and everything indicates that it could become the highest-grossing film of the British director’s career.
