A Hollywood director is accusing Elon Musk of stealing designs for Musk's new line of robots and self-driving vehicles.
Tesla unveiled the new, fully autonomous robovan and cybercab vehicles on Oct. 10. At the event, Musk also revealed the latest version of the Tesla Bot, named Optimus.
First introduced in 2022, this updated version features faster walking speeds, enhanced hand movement, and tactile sensors.
However, the similarities between Tesla's robots and those from the 2004 sci-fi movie "I, Robot" did not go unnoticed.
The film's director Alex Proyas, who also helmed "The Crow" (1994) and "Dark City" (1998) was quick to call out Musk on social media.
"Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?" he wrote on X in a post that featured three side-by-side images of Tesla's products and the designs from his movie.
His comments created a media frenzy. Within hours, Proyas pointed out on Facebook that his tweet had been taken out of context.
"The internet seemingly doesn't understand a joke," he wrote, sharing a link to a Variety article about his post.
Set in 2035, "I, Robot" stars Will Smith as a detective investigating the suspicious death of a company founder, believed to be caused by one of the intelligent robots designed to serve and protect humans. It is based on a 1950 short story by Isaac Asimov.
Proyas has been vocal in recent weeks, most notably slamming Lionsgate's "The Crow" reboot, which was a box office flop.
Taking to Facebook, the director wrote, "I thought the remake was a cynical cash-grab. Not much cash to grab it seems."
Prior to its premiere, Proyas argued that the film's legacy should remain solely with its star Brandon Lee, who died in the making of "The Crow."
"I really don't get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmakers work," Proyas wrote on social media in March, according to Variety. "And I'm certain the cast and crew really had all good intentions, as we all do on any film. So it pains me to say any more on this topic, but I think the fan's response speaks volumes.
"'The Crow' is not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That's how it should remain."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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