Actor Colman Domingo used his stint guest-hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this week to take aim at Elon Musk’s plan to produce an AI-generated version of “The Odyssey,” suggesting the tech billionaire’s complaints about historical accuracy are a stand-in for objections to the film’s diverse casting.
Mr. Musk announced on the social media platform X that his artificial intelligence tool Grok Imagine would produce a full-length film adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem before the end of the year, posting alongside the claim an AI-generated three-minute clip of the story made with the tool. It was his first extended comment on the film since Christopher Nolan’s adaptation opened to strong reviews and box-office numbers, following months of criticism from Mr. Musk over the movie’s cast, which includes Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy.
Mr. Musk’s remarks drew a pointed response from Mr. Domingo, who used his Wednesday night monologue to question the entire premise.
“Now Elon Musk is planning to create what he calls a ’historically accurate’ version of ’The Odyssey,’ using his Grok AI,” Mr. Domingo said. “And by ’historically accurate,’ he means whiter than Christmas at Cracker Barrel. Of course this is all because Elon and his Musketeers are upset over the diversity casting of ’The Odyssey.’ And I don’t wanna get technical here, but you can’t make a historically accurate version of something that is totally made the f—- up.
“I mean, ’The Odyssey’ is fiction. You know, like ’The Hunger Games,’ or the president’s cognitive exams. I mean, come on, doesn’t Elon Musk have better things to do? Wasn’t this bitch supposed to be on Mars by now?”
Given the box-office numbers, Mr. Musk’s proposed remake would be competing with a hit: Nolan’s “Odyssey” pulled in roughly $264 million worldwide in its opening weekend, on track to become the director’s highest-grossing release.
Mr. Musk has not provided details about the project’s production or whether it will ultimately be completed, but he said Grok Imagine’s version would arrive before the end of 2026.
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