*Elon Musk is facing backlash after weighing in on online speculation surrounding the casting of Lupita Nyong’o in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film “The Odyssey.”

According to Newsweek, the controversy erupted after Musk criticized Nolan in response to claims that Nyong’o had been cast as Helen of Troy. “The Odyssey” is described as a mythic action epic filmed around the globe using IMAX technology. The film adapts Homer’s legendary tale for the first time on IMAX film and is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 17, 2026. Nolan has said the project allowed him to explore a narrative with “a bit of everything in it.”

The cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron also appearing. Additional cast members named for the production include Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, and Benny Safdie, further adding to the film’s high-profile ensemble.

The backlash began after a post circulated on Musk’s platform X criticizing the rumored casting. The user @iterintellectuson wrote: “Helen of Troy was fair skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her. Casting choices that make the premise incoherent are admissions that the story was never the point and an insult to the author.” Musk responded to the the post by adding, “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity.”

Many users pushed back, arguing that the criticism ignored the mythological nature of the story and targeted Nyong’o unfairly. On Threads, @bp_sweany wrote: “Christopher Nolan is getting criticized by conservative media for casting a Black woman instead of a white woman, the beautiful actress Lupita Nyong’o, as Helen of Troy in ‘The Odyssey.’ Just making sure we’re all on the same page here. We talking about the same Helen of Troy who was born from an egg that her mother laid after being forcibly impregnated by Zeus disguised as a swan? That’s who you want to be more ‘historically’ accurate?”

The debate reached daytime television as well. On “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg addressed Musk’s remarks, noting that Homer never explicitly described Helen of Troy as a “fair-skinned blonde,” and praised Lupita as being one of the most beautiful women in the world. Check out her comments and clip below.