Elon Musk spent every day this week attacking Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film “The Odyssey” on X, turning a $250 million movie due in theaters in July into a target for his followers. On Friday, Musk took the criticism straight to Nolan, asking, “Who specifically is the asshole who added DEI lies to Academy Awards eligibility instead of it just being about making the best movie?”
The dispute centered on a string of Musk posts that amplified attacks on Lupita Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy and on Elliot Page’s involvement in an undisclosed role. Musk reposted claims that Page was playing Achilles, even though that role has not been confirmed, and on Thursday he answered “True” to a post claiming the film was part of a left-wing plot to “destroy Western Civilization and everything that helped create it.” He also responded “True” to a false claim that films must meet three diversity standards to qualify for Best Picture. In fact, the Academy’s rule requires films to satisfy two of four diversity standards, which can be met through options such as one lead or significant supporting actor from an underrepresented group, two department heads or six crew members from underrepresented groups, internships or training opportunities, or multiple executives in development, marketing, publicity or distribution.
Musk’s campaign against the project was not new. In January, he criticized Nolan in two posts saying the director had “lost his integrity,” and those comments were themselves responses to criticism of Nyong’o’s casting instead of a Greek actress. This week’s barrage extended that line of attack, with Musk also boosting a post alleging Nolan was “racist against the Greek people and their cultural heritage” and reposting another that suggested the filmmaker was stomping on Homer’s grave.
“The Odyssey” is Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem, and it has already become one of the most watched releases of the summer because of its scale and its cast. That also made it a magnet for online outrage, including earlier backlash over armor choices and Travis Scott’s casting, both of which were covered in separate reports on the production. But the louder the posts got, the more misleading they became. Page’s role has not been confirmed, and the Academy’s Best Picture eligibility rules do not work the way Musk described.
That matters because Musk was not just criticizing a movie. He was recasting a studio release and an awards rulebook as proof of a broader cultural conspiracy, even as the underlying facts did not support it. The next milestone is simple: Nolan’s film is still set to open in July, and the conversation around it is now as much about the noise surrounding it as the movie itself.
