Elon Musk published an AI trailer “Iliad”created using Grok Imagine 1.5and again hit the nerves of Hollywood.
Video created using the new model Grok Imagine 1.5 companies xAIsparked a strong reaction from users and a new debate about what artificial intelligence could do to the film industry.
In the published post Musk wrote that this is a trailer “Iliad (Troy)”made using the just presented Grok Imagine 1.5. The video lasts about 40 seconds and is made in the style of a large historical and mythological blockbuster: walls TroyGreek fleet, battle scenes, Achilles, Hector, Myrmidons and construction Trojan horse.
Iliad (Troy) trailer made by Grok Imagine 1.5, which was just released pic.twitter.com/o0zITVlvpn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2026
In fact, this is not a full-fledged film or an official film project, but a demonstration of the capabilities of the new AI video model. But it is precisely such demonstrations that irritate Hollywood the most today: they show that the visual language of expensive epic cinema can already be imitated without soundstages, extras, months-long filming and a budget that makes studio accountants begin to pray to all gods at once.
A response to Nolan or a blow to Hollywood?
Many users perceived the publication as an indirect answer Christopher Nolanaround the future film adaptation “Odyssey” which has already been discussed. British The Guardian separately raised the question: why in the large-scale adaptation of the ancient Greek epic, filmed by Hollywood, the Greeks themselves are almost invisible.
Movie Nolan “The Odyssey” must go out July 17, 2026. The cast includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Zendaya and other stars. The project is being filmed as a major IMAX epic, but it is already being criticized for its approach to ancient material and the presentation of Greek heritage.
The video is against this background Mask looks like a technological and cultural provocation: if Hollywood takes Greek myths, but again tells them through the usual factory of stars and its own casting schemes, then AI offers a different way – quickly, spectacularly, without a studio hierarchy and with an almost instant reaction from the audience.
Why did the Greeks pay attention?
The reaction of the Greek audience was of particular interest. Many users noted that AI visualization of heroes Iliad looks closer to the expected image of an ancient Greek epic than many Hollywood versions, where ancient Greece is often turned into a universal decorative backdrop.
It is important here not to get excited ahead of time. An AI trailer is still a collection of impressive shots, and not drama, acting or a full-fledged movie. But as a visual statement it hit a nerve: the viewer was shown Achilles, Hector, Troy and the Greek fleet as it should look in the popular imagination – epic, dark, warlike and without the feeling that the ancient world has once again been put through a modern corporate filter.
That is why comments like “Hollywood is cracking”. Formally, of course, Hollywood has not gone away. He still sits on the rights, distribution, stars and marketing budgets. But the psychological blow is obvious: if a 40-second spot can generate more conversation than the official promotional material for an expensive film, the industry has a reason to nervously straighten its tie.
AI as a new competitor to the film industry
Grok Imagine 1.5 was the latest signal that generative video is rapidly moving into territory previously controlled only by studios, VFX companies and large production teams. While such videos often suffer from instability, errors, visual oddities and a lack of real direction. But the pace of development is already frightening the industry.
The big question now is not whether AI will replace cinema tomorrow morning. Will not replace. Cinema is not just a picture. These are the script, editing, actors, rhythm, author’s view and human intonation. But AI is already changing the cost of entry into visual production. What previously required millions can now be roughly simulated in hours or days.
This is an opportunity for independent authors. It’s a threat to studios. For viewers, this is a new era where it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish a real artistic breakthrough from a beautiful synthetic wrapper. Because humanity, as usual, invented a powerful tool and immediately asked: “Can they replace everyone who is expensive?”
Not a movie, but a warning
The Mask video should not be perceived as a ready-made replacement “Iliad” in cinema, but as a warning to the industry. Big studios are no longer the only ones capable of creating visual scale. Yes, as long as Hollywood still has experience, schools, actors, directors and access to global distribution. But the monopoly on the spectacle is beginning to crack.
If a feature-length AI movie based on Homer were to appear tomorrow, it would likely be controversial, uneven, and in places frighteningly artificial. But the very fact that such an idea is already being seriously discussed changes the market. First, the AI creates trailers. Then – the scenes. Then – cheap films. And then Hollywood, which for decades explained to the world how to retell other people’s myths, will discover that myths have begun to be retold without it.
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