Elon Musk Slams Christopher Nolan’s Integrity Over Lupita Nyong'o Casting in The Odissey
Elon Musk waded into the controversy over Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, accusing the director of losing his integrity as casting rumors intensify ahead of the film’s release.
Nolan is making The Odyssey, and the movie internet is already on fire about it. Elon Musk just jumped in and tossed a grenade with a short, sharp post about Christopher Nolan that turned a casting rumor into a full-on debate.
What Musk said
'Chris Nolan has lost his integrity'
Musk posted that on X late on Jan 31, 2026 (which reads as Feb 1 in some time zones), replying to a thread where a user was mad about the rumor that Lupita Nyong'o is playing Helen of Troy. That user argued it would be an insult to the author because Helen is described in the poem as fair-skinned and blonde. Musk kept it to seven words, and the discourse did the rest.
Where this rumor came from
Lupita Nyong'o joined the cast back in November 2024. Since then, a bunch of fans have convinced themselves she is playing Helen, even though the production has never confirmed that. The speculation stuck, and now here we are. For the record, Matt Damon is confirmed as Odysseus.
The actual movie part
Nolan is writing and directing an adaptation of the ancient Greek epic, following Odysseus on his 10-year trek home after the Trojan War. Universal Pictures is releasing it in IMAX theaters on July 17, 2026.
The cast is stacked
- Matt Damon as Odysseus
- Tom Holland as Telemachus
- Anne Hathaway as Penelope
- Zendaya as Athena
- Charlize Theron as Circe
- Robert Pattinson
- Lupita Nyong'o
- Jon Bernthal
- Benny Safdie
- John Leguizamo
- Himesh Patel
- Mia Goth
- Will Yun Lee
- Elliot Page
- Samantha Morton
- Corey Hawkins
- Logan Marshall-Green
- Travis Scott
So where does this leave things?
Neither Nolan nor Universal has responded to Musk, and nobody has confirmed who Nyong'o is playing. The conversation is still raging online, with people arguing about what counts as faithful adaptation versus creative casting. The only sure thing right now: the movie hits IMAX on July 17, 2026, and the debate will probably outlive the credits.