Scott Derrickson blasts Elon Musk over AI Odyssey plan
The Doctor Strange director tore into Musk after the billionaire said Grok will make its own full-length Odyssey movie this year.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
Scott Derrickson has gone straight at Elon Musk after the billionaire said his AI tool Grok will produce a feature-length version of The Odyssey before the year is out.
The director of Doctor Strange and The Black Phone addressed Musk on X, the social platform Musk owns, in a post reported by Variety. Derrickson wrote that Musk “doesn’t know shit about cinema” and said he “stopped reading in his 20s.” He added: “His opinions on art are worthless.”
The jab followed Musk’s pledge that Grok “will make a full-length movie of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer.” Variety reported that Musk also shared a three-minute AI-generated scene based on Homer’s poem, created by a Grok user.
Musk has been attacking Nolan’s Odyssey
Musk’s AI movie vow comes after months of public criticism aimed at Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, according to Variety. Musk has objected to casting choices in the film, including Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy.
In March, Musk wrote on X that “Chris Nolan is an anti-White racist” over Nyong’o’s casting, Variety reported. He claimed Nolan made the choice because “he wants the awards,” wrote that the filmmaker “has lost his integrity” and called the casting an “insult” to Homer.
Variety also reported that Musk reposted comments targeting Elliott Page, who plays Sinon in The Odyssey, including remarks that mocked the transgender actor’s masculinity.
No response from Musk to Derrickson’s post was included in Variety’s report.
The box office did not blink
According to Variety, The Odyssey stars Matt Damon and opened to $264 million worldwide. The publication also reported that the film has continued selling out screenings months in advance.
Musk’s criticism of Nolan’s film fits a pattern of movie commentary on X, Variety reported. He previously mocked Barbie over its feminist themes and also took aim at Disney’s Snow White reboot starring Rachel Zegler.
The new clash drops Musk’s AI ambitions into one of Hollywood’s loudest ongoing fights: whether generative tools belong anywhere near filmmaking, and who gets to decide what counts as faithful art. Derrickson’s answer, at least regarding Musk’s Homer pitch, was not subtle.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.