Elon Musk Says Christopher Nolan Has ‘Lost His Integrity’ With ‘The Odyssey’ If Lupita Nyong’o Is Playing Helen of Troy

Variety ^ | 02 01 2026 | Jack Dunn

[yesthatjallen]

Elon Musk took to X on Sunday to claim two-time Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan “has lost his integrity” while debating Lupita Nyong’o’s speculated role in “The Odyssey,” Helen of Troy.

On Sunday morning, one X user claimed that if Nyong’o plays Helen of Troy, it is “an insult” to the Greek poet Homer, who wrote “The Odyssey” around 700 BCE, because he originally described the fictonal character as “fair skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her.” Musk later commented on the post, “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.”

[jacknhoo]

So this Helen of Troy belonged to the Yanomamo tribe, eh.

[Sicon]

Yes, Penelope is the character in "The Odyssey", Helen of Troy is in "The Iliad".

All kinds of confusion both in the X post and this thread!

[Wallace T.]

The Iliad and The Odyssey were themselves likely partially fictional to begin with. Movie depictions of Homer’s works never resembled the actual conditions of the Aegean area of 3,000 years ago. However, there is a difference between poetic license and woke narratives.

[TexasGator]

“Stop watching TV or expecting anything on TV”

There is a lot of good content on TV.

Some days not so much, some days a lots.

That is what recording and On Demand come in handy.

So far my provider still let’s me skip through commercials on recordings.

[Sicon]

"But a faithful Odyssey film includes Helen, since she was indeed a character in the Odyssey."

That would explain the confusion, including mine!

[Sirius Lee]

Since Rosie fingered Dawn I just figured it was going to be another lesbian flick.

[Jewbacca]

“The world’s wealthiest man sure concerns himself with stupid inconsequential things.”

I agree with you if this was an isolated incident.

But it is part of a pattern of making white people and culture disappear.

[Sirius Lee]

She is beautiful. She’s just not an Ancient Greek.

[MotorCityBuck]

LOL

[SunkenCiv]

Get woke, go broke.

• BBC is told to stop box-ticking casting that 'shoe-horns' ethnic minority actors into period dramas -- and to improve coverage of the working class and women over 60 [01/30/2026]

[Carry_Okie]

The phrase “the face that launched a thousand ships” comes from Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe,

Get a life Gator. I wasn't quoting the Iliad, but was referring to the person to whom the phrase was directed. Helen was the object in the Iliad, her beauty being the rationale for the Trojan War recounted therein to whom that phrase was directed.

[sima_yi]

Unless they have Lizzo portraying Helen of Troy, I am certainly not going to watch it.

Maybe they also should have Dany Mulvaney portray Odysseus.

[MotorCityBuck]

Ya, but when he does it Millon’s of folks pay attention.
Now you on the other hand. Only I paid attention. LOL!

[TexasGator]

“
Get a life Gator. I wasn’t quoting the Iliad”

LOL!

You put the phrase in quotes ...

---

Helen as “the face that launched a thousand ships” would be the Iliad,

---

[NorthMountain]

Pajama Boy to play Achilles, Michelle “Big Mike” Obama to play Hector ... Big Mike wins by sitting on Pajama Boy ... (Eeewwww ...)

[Mathews]

That face couldn’t launch a dingy, much less than a thousand warships.

[9422WMR]

“ Idiotic in the extreme.”
You want to see idiotic? Try watching “one battle after another” or whatever its called. Got through about 5 minutes and turned it off. Spicoli and little decaprio in love with the same ugly tough black woman. Who writes this crap? Oh, and her name? Lockjaw. Nominated for a half dozen academy “awards”
No wonder they can’t make any money.

[Mariner]

“Look on the bright side Elon, NO ONE is going to watch it anyway.”

I was going to watch it until I saw this.

[Blennos]

But it is part of a pattern of making white people and culture disappear.

I agree with you. This is not an inconsequential issue. By no means. The continued denigration of western civilization and the white race in particular is a disease with a bad outcome for all races.

[whitney69]

Integrity? In a film maker?

Oxymoron.

wy69