Topline
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk and other right-wing commentators have attacked director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming $250 million epic, “The Odyssey”—particularly the casting of Lupita Nyong’o, a Black actress, and Elliot Page, a trans actor—as “racist” over apparent historical inaccuracies, which Nolan has defended.
Musk reposted multiple posts critical of “The Odyssey” cast early Wednesday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Musk reposted and responded to multiple posts on X early Wednesday that attacked “The Odyssey,” an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem that is set to open in theaters in July.
Musk responded, “True,” to one post 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.
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” (Musk also responded, “True,” to Walsh’s post).
Musk also boosted multiple posts that attacked Page’s gender identity, also calling one tweet that suggested Page could not open a pickle jar a “banger.”
Musk previously criticized “The Odyssey” 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.
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)