'Doctor Strange' director criticises Elon Musk over AI 'Odyssey' promise

Scott Derrickson criticised Elon Musk after the billionaire pledged to create an AI-generated adaptation of The Odyssey, calling the tech entrepreneur's opinions on cinema and art "worthless".

The Doctor Strange director responded on X after Musk claimed his AI chatbot, Grok, would produce a feature-length version of Homer's epic before the end of the year that would be "historically accurate and true to the art of Homer." Musk also shared a three-minute AI-generated scene inspired by the ancient poem.

Director fires back

Derrickson dismissed Musk's comments in a blunt social media post, writing that the billionaire "doesn't know s--- about cinema" and suggesting he had stopped reading decades ago.

He went on to argue that Musk's opinions on art carried little value, making his criticism one of the strongest responses from a Hollywood filmmaker since the billionaire began publicly attacking Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

Musk's criticism of Nolan

Musk has repeatedly criticised Nolan's adaptation, arguing that some casting decisions reflected what he described as "woke" choices rather than historical accuracy.

Earlier this year, he accused the filmmaker of compromising his integrity after casting Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and criticised the casting of Elliott Page as Sinon, reposting comments targeting the actor.

The billionaire has previously voiced similar objections to films including Barbie and Disney's live-action Snow White.

Film continues strong run

Despite the online criticism, Nolan's The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, has performed strongly at the global box office, earning $264 million worldwide. The film also continues to sell out advance screenings months after its release, showing little sign that the controversy has affected audience demand.