Elon Musk is back at it with The Odyssey. In a new Time profile published on May 12th, Lupita Nyong’o was officially confirmed to play Helen of Troy. She will also play her sister, Clytemnestra. This confirmation quickly reignited a controversy Musk began months ago.
Musk wrote on X that Nolan “wants the awards,” suggesting that was his reason for changing the races of characters. This was in response to a post about the Oscars’ representation and inclusion standards for best picture eligibility. These standards actually cover a mix of casting, subject matter, leadership, crew, and audience development.
Musk also mocked the film for casting Elliot Page, who previously worked with Christopher Nolan on Inception. Other X posts had Musk retweet content mocking Page’s masculinity. All while claiming that Nolan was “stomping all over Homer’s grave” with his choices.
Musk has done this before. In January, he declared “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity” after a post said the film was an insult to the author over Nyong’o’s rumored casting. It called her character, Helen of Troy, “fair skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her.”
The Reactions
The View‘s Whoopi Goldberg dealt with the backlash on Hot Topics, saying to the viewers, “I don’t know if you realize this, Lupita is also considered one of the world’s most beautiful women. So, I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”
In The Odyssey, Nyong’o plays the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy, wife to Menelaus. While also playing her sister, Clytemnestra, who is married to Agamemnon. A double role, so twice the eyes and twice the drama.
With a reported $250 million budget, The Odyssey is thought to be the most expensive film of Nolan’s career, being the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX film cameras. The film is also Nolan’s first since Oppenheimer, which dominated the Academy Awards, winning seven prizes, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The Odyssey is due out on July 17, 2026, and has already sold out several opening screenings in IMAX 70mm a year ahead of release. Whether the awards gossip Musk started helps or hurts the film at the box office time will tell.
