Director Scott Derrickson has publicly criticised Elon Musk after the billionaire claimed his AI platform, Grok, would create a feature-length adaptation of The Odyssey that is “historically accurate and true to the art of Homer,” writes Variety.
Musk recently announced that Grok would produce the AI-generated film before the end of the year and shared a three-minute AI-created scene based on Homer’s epic poem, generated by a Grok user.
His comments drew a sharp response from Doctor Strange and The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson.
“Clearly @elonmusk doesn’t know shit about cinema & he stopped reading in his 20s,” Derrickson wrote on X. “His opinions on art are worthless.”
Musk has repeatedly criticised Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, long before its release, accusing the filmmaker of making what he described as “woke” casting choices.
Earlier this year, Musk labelled Nolan “an anti-White racist” for casting Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, claiming the decision was made to win awards.
He also criticised the casting of Elliot Page as Sinon, reposting comments mocking the actor.
Nolan has dismissed the criticism, describing complaints about the film’s diverse casting as “irrelevant.”
Despite the online backlash, The Odyssey has emerged as one of the year’s biggest box-office successes.
The epic, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, opened to $264 million worldwide and continues to generate strong demand, with many screenings selling out well in advance.
Musk’s criticism of The Odyssey follows similar attacks on other major films, including Barbie over its feminist themes and Disney’s live-action Snow White starring Rachel Zegler.
The exchange highlights the growing divide between Hollywood creatives and technology leaders as debates over artificial intelligence, filmmaking and artistic integrity continue to intensify.
