Back in July, Elon Musk said his AI video tool, Grok Imagine, would make a full-length, “historically accurate” version of Homer’s “The Odyssey.” 

He also set a deadline for the end of 2026. Now, with about two months left on the clock, the first piece of that promise is here.

On Friday, the Grok Imagine account posted a 7-minute, AI-generated episode of an “Odyssey” series on X. 

Grok’s Release

The new episode is the first chapter of a series, not a finished movie. The post credited the “creative collaboration” to Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker. 

Both work in AI filmmaking.

Musk didn’t explain how many episodes are planned. He also didn’t say whether they’ll be stitched together into one film before his deadline.

Grok had teased an “Odyssey pilot” on September 29 with a short video and a joke that no cameras were harmed in making it. 

That project runs on Grok Imagine Video 1.5, the newest text-to-video model from Musk’s company xAI.

The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan’s three-hour take on Homer’s poem hit theaters on July 17 to strong reviews. It quickly became a box office giant. 

The film pulled in about $264.1 million worldwide in its first weekend, beating the debut of Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” 

Critics also loved it. It earned a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, one of Nolan’s best.

A few days into that run, Musk made a promise. “Before this year ends, Grok Imagine will make a full-length movie of The Odyssey that is historically accurate and true to the art of Homer,” he wrote. 

He paired the post with a 3-minute AI clip of “The Odyssey” that an X user had made.

Musk went even further in another post. He said he’d be “down” to hand Mel Gibson $100 million to make a “historically accurate” version.

Casting

Musk’s AI project grew out of his anger at Nolan’s film. He attacked the movie again and again before it opened, all because he found the casting wrong. 

Nolan picked Elliot Page to play Sinon, a Greek soldier, and Lupita Nyong’o to play Helen of Troy. 

Musk claimed those choices were made to meet the Academy’s representation and inclusion rules for Oscar eligibility.

In March, Musk wrote that “Chris Nolan is an anti-White racist.” He also claimed the director cast Nyong’o only because “He wants the awards.”

At one point, Musk also called Nolan a “coward” over the Nyong’o casting.

The rest of Nolan’s cast is packed with stars. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, and Zendaya plays Athena. 

Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron also appear.

Scott Derrickson, who directed “Doctor Strange” and “The Black Phone,” responded to Musk on X. 

He used blunt, salty language to say Musk doesn’t understand movies. He added that “Musk quit reading in his 20s. His opinions on art are worthless.”

A $175,000 Contest

Meanwhile, Grok kept the hype going with a contest. In August, the official Grok account announced a $175,000 video competition. 

It asked creators to make scenes from “The Odyssey” using Grok Imagine’s video and voice tools.

Entries had to run 3 to 5 minutes and include at least a minute of dialogue. 

A filmmaker named Nem Perez won the $100,000 top prize with a piece he called “The Odyssey as Homer intended.”

However, the winning clips weren’t flawless. Reviewers spotted wobbly physics, random costume changes, and a three-eyed Cyclops.