Doctor Strange Director Slams Elon Musk's AI 'Odyssey' Film Plan

Filmmaker Scott Derrickson, known for directing "Doctor Strange," has sharply criticized Elon Musk's ambition to create an AI-generated film adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey." Derrickson took to the social platform X to express his disdain, asserting that Musk possesses no understanding of filmmaking or art. "He clearly knows nothing about cinema and stopped reading in his 20s. His opinions on art are worthless," Derrickson stated.

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He clearly knows nothing about cinema and stopped reading in his 20s. His opinions on art are worthless.

The controversy ignited when Musk announced that his AI tool, Grok Imagine, would produce a historically accurate and artistically faithful film version of "The Odyssey" before the end of 2026. Musk even shared a three-minute AI-generated video depicting a scene between Odysseus and Calypso, which, despite garnering millions of views, received significant criticism and mockery in its comments section.

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Before the end of this year, Grok Imagine will make a feature film of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer.

Skepticism also surrounds Musk's claim of historical accuracy. Critics question how a narrative filled with gods, monsters, and mythological creatures can be considered historically accurate. "Historically accurate like what? It has Cyclops. You realize that's mythological poetry, right?" one user commented. Further scrutiny focused on details within the AI teaser, such as what appeared to be an earpiece worn by Odysseus, a detail inconsistent with Homer's text where Odysseus's ears were intentionally left open to hear the Sirens' song while his crew used earplugs.

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It's important to note here that he didn't say the movie would be good.