Christopher Nolan called out by Elon Musk over Lupita Nyong’o’s casting in The Odyssey; what’s the controversy about?

Christopher Nolan has been severely criticised by billionaire industrialist Elon Musk over the casting of actress Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy in the filmmaker’s upcoming period drama The Odyssey: A Journey Begins. Lupita’s casting in the film came to light after The Odyssey’s first teaser was unveiled last month.

Replying to an X post about the cast of The Odyssey, Musk wrote, “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.”

What’s the controversy about?

Several users on X have objected to Lupita’s casting in the film. Lupita, a black actress, has been cast as Helen, who, according to the Greek poet Homer, was “fair-skinned, blonde, and the face that launched a thousand ships”. The Odyssey, written by Homer around 700 BCE, forms the base of Nolan’s film.

While the makers of the film The Odyssey have not clearly mentioned what role Nyong’o plays in the film, users on X have called the casting an ‘insult’ to the original epic by Homer. Musk is not the only one to have called out Nolan; there were others, too, who raised objections to Lupita’s casting. “Helen of Troy was Greek. I like how they basically cast no Greek people in the movie. lol,” wrote a user.

About The Odyssey: A Journey Begins

The Odyssey: A Journey Begins chronicles Odysseus’s (Matt Damon) extensive journey home following the Trojan War.

Helmed by Nolan, the film boasts an impressive star cast including Tom Holland, Mia Goth, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo.

The Odyssey is Damon’s fourth collaboration with Nolan, following The Departed (2006), Interstellar (2014) and Nolan’s Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer (2023).

Nolan has directed and written the screenplay for The Odyssey. He also serves as a producer alongside Emma Thomas under their Syncopy production company. The film is set to release in theatres on July 17, 2026.