Elon Musk is continuing his campaign against Christopher Nolan‘s “The Odyssey,” asserting that the Academy’s diversity guidelines are responsible for the director selecting a diverse array of cast members for the historical epic. “Who specifically is the asshole who added DEI lies to Academy Awards eligibility instead of it just being about making the best movie?” he asked.
Musk doubled down on his attacks Friday, writing on X, “Chris Nolan desecrated the Odyssey so that he would be eligible for an Academy Award.” Musk’s comments don’t take into consideration the fact that Nolan’s Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” had a white cast and was Oscar-eligible due to a number of other factors.
Musk ramped up his criticism Wednesday after Nolan confirmed that Lupita N’yong’o would join the cast of “The Odyssey” as Helen of Troy. He amplified a tweet from conservative commentator Matt Walsh, who wrote, “Not one person on the planet actually thinks that Lupita Nyong’o is ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’ But Christopher Nolan knows that he would be called racist if he gave’ the most beautiful woman’ role to a white woman. Nolan is technically talented but a coward.” Musk replied “True” and continued to promote his position that Nolan’s casting is being engineered to win awards. He also objected to the casting of Eliot Page, retweeting posts mocking the actor’s masculinity.
The Academy’s Representation and Inclusion Standards for Best Picture eligibility were announced in 2020 put into practice in 2024, requiring films to meet two our of four standards for onscreen diversity, including casting, subject matter, leadership and departments heads, crew, apprenticeships and/or audience development.
Variety has reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for comment.
“The Odyssey” opens in theaters on July 17.
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