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Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has attacked Christopher Nolan\u2019s upcoming $250 million movie, \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d every day this week on X, but some of the claims he\u2019s ma\ufeffking about the cast and diversity rules at the Academy Awards are misleading. <\/p>\n
Musk reposted multiple posts critical of “The Odyssey” cast early Wednesday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Musk has reposted and responded to many posts on X this week attacking \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d an adaptation of Homer\u2019s ancient Greek poem that is set to open in theaters in July, particularly over the casting of Black actress Lupita Nyong\u2019o as Helen of Troy and trans actor Elliot Page in an undisclosed role.<\/p>\n
Musk has boosted multiple posts attacking Page for allegedly playing the Greek warrior Achilles, which targeted him for his gender identity\u2014but Page\u2019s role in the movie has not been confirmed, and claims he is playing Achilles are rumors.<\/p>\n
Musk responded, \u201cTrue,\u201d 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\u2019s cast must be non-white or non-straight people\u2014but it is not accurate, as these are just some of the multiple criteria films can meet for eligibility.<\/p>\n
Despite misstating the Academy\u2019s diversity requirements, Musk has accused<\/a> Nolan of hiring a diverse cast for \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d because he wants to win Oscars.<\/p>\n Musk also posted<\/a> Friday, \u201cWho specifically is the asshole who added DEI lies to Academy Awards eligibility instead of it just being about making the best movie?\u201d <\/p>\n What Do The Academy Awards\u2019 Diversity Rules Actually Require?<\/p>\n To be eligible for Best Picture at the Oscars, films must meet two of four diversity standards<\/a>\u2014and 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n What Else Has Musk Said About \u201cthe Odyssey\u201d?<\/p>\n Musk\u2019s tirade against \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d began earlier this week, but he criticized the movie as early as January, saying in two posts that month Nolan has \u201clost his integrity,\u201d both of which were in response to posts that criticized the casting of Nyong\u2019o instead of a Greek actress. Musk responded<\/a>, \u201cTrue,\u201d to one post this week that alleged Nolan is \u201cracist against the Greek people and their cultural heritage,\u201d also reposting<\/a> a tweet that suggested Nolan is stomping on Homer\u2019s grave. On Thursday, Musk said<\/a> \u201cTrue\u201d in response to a post that claimed \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is actually part of a left-wing plan to \u201cdestroy Western Civilization and everything that helped create it.\u201d Musk attacked Nolan directly on Friday, saying, \u201cShame on Chris Nolan for desecrating Homer! He will never live it down.\u201d The Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh<\/a> also slammed \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d in a post on Tuesday, suggesting Nolan cast Nyong\u2019o as Helen of Troy because he knew \u201che would be called racist if he gave \u2018the most beautiful woman\u2019 role to a white woman\u201d\u2014and Musk responded<\/a>, \u201cTrue,\u201d to Walsh\u2019s post.<\/p>\n Why Is \u201cthe Odyssey\u201d Facing A Casting Controversy?<\/p>\n Some critics of Nolan\u2019s casting choices for \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d have lamented the cast lacks Greek actors and is allegedly historically inaccurate. In addition to Nyong\u2019o 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<\/a> earlier this week, saying, \u201cI 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.\u201d Some people who have defended Nolan\u2019s casting online also noted<\/a> Nyongo\u2019s character, Helen of Troy, is a mythological figure and there is no evidence she was a real person. Nolan told Time he knows \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d will not satisfy all enthusiasts of the ancient poem, and he compared his process for developing the film to his 2014 science fiction epic, \u201cInterstellar.\u201d \u201cFor Interstellar, you\u2019re looking at, \u2018What is the best speculation of the future?\u2019 When you\u2019re looking at the ancient past, it\u2019s actually the same thing. \u2018What is the best speculation and how can I use that to create a world?\u2019\u201d he said, adding he hopes people will \u201cenjoy the film, even if they don\u2019t agree with everything.\u201d <\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d 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<\/a> writer James Hibberd said \u201ceverybody sounds like they\u2019re from Ohio\u201d in the film, calling it more like \u201cIthaca, New York, than Ithaca, Greece.\u201d Hibberd noted many other historical epics, like \u201cGladiator,\u201d opted to have actors use British accents, even though that accent would also be historically inaccurate.<\/p>\n What Do We Know About \u201cthe Odyssey\u201d?<\/p>\n \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d 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\u2019o. Filming took place last year across multiple countries, including Greece, Italy, Iceland and Scotland. The movie courted some controversy<\/a> for shooting in the disputed Western Sahara territory, which has been occupied by Morocco for decades. \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is Nolan\u2019s follow-up to \u201cOppenheimer,\u201d which made nearly $1 billion in 2023 and was the biggest winner at that year\u2019s Academy Awards, with Nolan winning the prizes for Best Picture and Best Director. <\/p>\n Big Number<\/p>\n $250 million. That\u2019s the estimated budget<\/a> for \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d the most expensive film of Nolan\u2019s career. Multiple film publications have projected<\/a> \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d will be a box office hit this summer. Deadline<\/a> reported last week \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d will be one of the summer\u2019s top-grossing films, noting the film had already sold out<\/a> IMAX screenings a year in advance.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n