Tech billionaire Elon Musk has released a seven-minute AI-generated episode adapting Homer's epic poem The Odyssey on X, attempting to create a rival to Christopher Nolan's blockbuster after pledging to deliver a version "true to the art of Homer." The project was created using Musk's Grok Imagine technology in collaboration with Wonder Studios, a startup based in London. Musk previously stated he would use AI to create a "historically accurate" adaptation after criticizing Nolan's summer film release.
Musk's dispute with Nolan's $250 million (£188 million) production stemmed from its casting decisions, including the selection of Black actor Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy. The Tesla tycoon used the high-profile Hollywood release to voice his critiques regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. While Musk originally promised to release a "full-length movie" version of Homer's classic before the end of the year, he is currently moving forward by issuing the film in short serialized installments.
The introductory episode opens with Odysseus contemplating whether to join the Greek forces planning to sack the city of Troy. He subsequently sets sail from Ithaca, his native island, accompanied by soldiers calling for "vengeance" before landing to enter battle. Spanning a decade of conflict, the initial segment ends ominously with Odysseus holding a small wooden figurine of a horse.
According to Xavier Collins, co-founder of Wonder Studios, the initial episode was assembled in less than two weeks by a small creative team of three people, including US-based director Dev Walker. The project is understood to have cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce. By contrast, Nolan's cinematic adaptation took 91 days to shoot across multiple global locations with an extensive crew, eventually earning $1.8 billion at the global box office.
Speaking about the venture, Collins described himself as a "huge fan" and clarified the creative boundaries of the assignment. "We were not given any direction to make it anti-woke or anything like that. We were given the opportunity by one of the world's best frontier labs to work on one of the best stories ever told," Collins explained. He noted that the primary directive for the team was to "help us understand the technology, where it's strong, where it could use improvement."
Since being published on the Grok Imagine account on X, the seven-minute segment has accumulated over 7.3 million views, alongside sharp reactions from critics. Writing for the Telegraph, one reviewer commented that "you can feel your eyeballs twitch as it unfolds in all its sloppy gruesomeness." Audiences and critics also pointed out issues regarding the historical accuracy of the vessels shown and the rapid pacing of the narrative.
Wonder Studios plans to use the feedback to refine subsequent releases. Collins noted that the production team will review all user responses and address highlighted flaws, stating, "We are going to take a look at all of the comments and all of the things we could have done better and see if we can improve it. The goal is that the next episode we make is radically better than the last." Outside of its collaboration with Musk, Wonder Studios previously partnered with Google DeepMind to generate an AI music video for the Lewis Capaldi track Something in the Heavens.
