Director Alex Proyas, known for helming the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller I, Robot, starring Will Smith in the lead role, has mocked and accused Elon Musk's Tesla for copying designs from his movie for the businessman's Cybercab Robotaxi presentation last week at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California.
The event saw the unveiling of Tesla's three new innovations: the Optimus robot, the self-driving robotaxi, dubbed the Cybercab, and the Robovan. Although the initial reveal was received with unanimous praise, people on social media were quick to point out the striking resemblence to I, Robot and its designs.
Tesla had also named the event "We, Robot" which is a take on the title of Isaac Asimov’s 1950 short-story collection on which the film is based. Soon after the criticism, director Proyas himself took to his social media handles and hit back at Tesla, saying, "Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back, please?"
Filmmaker Matt Granger, who worked as an assistant on I, Robot also slammed Elon Musk for his "utter lack of creativity."
Set in 2035 Chicago, highly intelligent robots fill public service positions throughout the world, operating under three laws to keep humans safe. Detective Del Spooner (Smith) investigates the alleged suicide of U.S. Robotics founder Alfred Lanning (Cromwell) and believes that a human-like robot called Sonny murdered him. The film also starred Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, Chi McBride, and Alan Tudyk, as the robot, Sonny.
