Topline
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has attacked Christopher Nolan’s upcoming $250 million movie, “The Odyssey,” every day this week on X, but some of the claims he’s making about the cast and diversity rules at the Academy Awards are misleading.
Key Facts
Musk has reposted and responded to many posts on X this week attacking “The Odyssey,” an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem that is set to open in theaters in July, particularly over the casting of Black actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and trans actor Elliot Page in an undisclosed role.
Musk has boosted multiple posts attacking Page for allegedly playing the Greek warrior Achilles, which targeted him for his gender identity—but Page’s role in the movie has not been confirmed, and claims he is playing Achilles are rumors.
Musk responded, “True,” to a post on X that falsely claims films must meet three diversity standards to be eligible for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, including a claim 30% of a film’s cast must be non-white or non-straight people—but it is not accurate, as these are just some of the multiple criteria films can meet for eligibility.
Despite misstating the Academy’s diversity requirements, Musk has accused Nolan of hiring a diverse cast for “The Odyssey” because he wants to win Oscars.
Musk also posted Friday, “Who specifically is the asshole who added DEI lies to Academy Awards eligibility instead of it just being about making the best movie?”
What Do The Academy Awards’ Diversity Rules Actually Require?
To be eligible for Best Picture at the Oscars, films must meet two of four diversity standards—and three of the four criteria can be met in multiple different ways. The first standard can be met through on-screen representation, either by having one lead or significant supporting actor or 30% of the entire cast from an underrepresented group, or by the film’s main theme centering on an underrepresented group, including women, LGBTQ people, people of color or people with cognitive or physical disabilities. The second criteria can be met by having either two department heads (like cinematographers, directors or costume designers), six crew members or 30% of the entire crew from underrepresented groups. The third criteria can be met by the film’s studio or production company offering internships or training opportunities to people from underrepresented groups. The fourth standard can be met by having multiple executives from underrepresented groups in a film’s development, marketing, publicity or distribution teams. The post Musk boosted is inaccurate, because it claimed movies can only be eligible for Best Picture by meeting the on-screen diversity standards and by having two department heads from underrepresented groups, without mentioning these are merely three standards of many a film can meet for eligibility.
What Else Has Musk Said About “the Odyssey”?
Musk’s tirade against “The Odyssey” began earlier this week, but he criticized the movie as early as January, saying in two posts that month Nolan has “lost his integrity,” both of which were in response to posts that criticized the casting of Nyong’o instead of a Greek actress. Musk responded, “True,” to one post this week that alleged Nolan is “racist against the Greek people and their cultural heritage,” also reposting a tweet that suggested Nolan is stomping on Homer’s grave. On Thursday, Musk said “True” in response to a post that claimed “The Odyssey” is actually part of a left-wing plan to “destroy Western Civilization and everything that helped create it.” Musk attacked Nolan directly on Friday, saying, “Shame on Chris Nolan for desecrating Homer! He will never live it down.” The Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh also slammed “The Odyssey” in a post on Tuesday, suggesting Nolan cast Nyong’o as Helen of Troy because he knew “he would be called racist if he gave ‘the most beautiful woman’ role to a white woman”—and Musk responded, “True,” to Walsh’s post.
Why Is “the Odyssey” Facing A Casting Controversy?
Some critics of Nolan’s casting choices for “The Odyssey” have lamented the cast lacks Greek actors and is allegedly historically inaccurate. In addition to Nyong’o and Page, some critics have also criticized his casting of rapper Travis Scott in a small part. Nolan defended his choice to cast Scott in an interview with Time earlier this week, saying, “I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap.” Some people who have defended Nolan’s casting online also noted Nyongo’s character, Helen of Troy, is a mythological figure and there is no evidence she was a real person. Nolan told Time he knows “The Odyssey” will not satisfy all enthusiasts of the ancient poem, and he compared his process for developing the film to his 2014 science fiction epic, “Interstellar.” “For Interstellar, you’re looking at, ‘What is the best speculation of the future?’ When you’re looking at the ancient past, it’s actually the same thing. ‘What is the best speculation and how can I use that to create a world?’” he said, adding he hopes people will “enjoy the film, even if they don’t agree with everything.”
Tangent
“The Odyssey” also faced some backlash when a trailer premiered last week, as the actors, including British stars Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, appeared to be using American accents. In a critical column, The Hollywood Reporter writer James Hibberd said “everybody sounds like they’re from Ohio” in the film, calling it more like “Ithaca, New York, than Ithaca, Greece.” Hibberd noted many other historical epics, like “Gladiator,” opted to have actors use British accents, even though that accent would also be historically inaccurate.
What Do We Know About “the Odyssey”?
“The Odyssey” stars an ensemble cast with plenty of A-listers, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus. His co-stars include Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Charlize Theron and Nyong’o. Filming took place last year across multiple countries, including Greece, Italy, Iceland and Scotland. The movie courted some controversy for shooting in the disputed Western Sahara territory, which has been occupied by Morocco for decades. “The Odyssey” is Nolan’s follow-up to “Oppenheimer,” which made nearly $1 billion in 2023 and was the biggest winner at that year’s Academy Awards, with Nolan winning the prizes for Best Picture and Best Director.
Big Number
$250 million. That’s the estimated budget for “The Odyssey,” the most expensive film of Nolan’s career. Multiple film publications have projected “The Odyssey” will be a box office hit this summer. Deadline reported last week “The Odyssey” will be one of the summer’s top-grossing films, noting the film had already sold out IMAX screenings a year in advance.
Further Reading
Christopher Nolan Has Been Dreaming of The Odyssey for More Than 20 Years (Time)
