Director Alex Proyas dings Elon Musk for swiping his futuristic designs from ‘I, Robot’

Director Alex Proyas dings Elon Musk for swiping his futuristic designs from ‘I, Robot’
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On Thursday Elon Musk debuted the latest advancements from his company Tesla, including its bipedal and apparently AI-enhanced Optimus Robot, along with a Robovan and a Robotaxi, both of which are self-driving.

However, some noted the sleek tech bore more than a passing resemblance to stuff seen in the 2004 Will Smith hit I, Robot — and one of those was its director, Alex Proyas. 

Next to pictures of Tesla’s bipedal bot and the vehicles, Proyas posted stills from the film, including its slender humanoid robots.

He wrote, “Hey Elon, Can I have my designs back please?”

While the robots aren’t exact copies, the Robovan looks strikingly similar to a robot transport in the movie.

Chances are Elon was well aware of the designs in the film — the event was called “We Robot.”

Let’s just hope Elon’s bots don’t go into revolution mode as they did in the film.

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Maggie Smith remembered by Daniel Radcliffe, Whoopi Goldberg and more
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Daniel Radcliffe is among those mourning the death of beloved British actress Maggie Smith, who died Friday at age 89.

Radcliffe, who played the titular character in the Harry Potter movie series, shared a statement reflecting on meeting Smith when he was a young actor.

“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job,” he began. “I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her.”

He added in part, “She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films. She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny.” 

He called himself “amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her,” adding, “The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”

Whoopi Goldberg, who starred with Smith in 1992’s Sister Act and 1993’s Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, posted on Instagram, “Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind.'”

Smith’s Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery said in a statement, “I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family.” 

The loss of Smith even led a “deeply saddened” King Charles III to share a statement on behalf of himself and his wife, Camilla, on Friday: “As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage.”

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‘It happens’: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson talks tardy rumors, reports he used water bottles as urinals on set
‘It happens’: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson talks tardy rumors, reports he used water bottles as urinals on set
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t holding back in a GQ Man of the Year cover story interview, which addresses some reports of seemingly odd behavior on the set of his upcoming holiday movie, Red One. 

Evidently, that includes him not holding back on set, either: “I pee in a bottle,” he confirmed to the magazine, regarding a report from The Wrap that alleged the superstar sometimes takes his bathroom breaks on the go on set. 

“I’ve said a thousand times: ‘Hey, I’m here. Come and ask me. And I’ll tell you the truth,'” Johnson maintains. 

Of The Wrap’s allegation that he was habitually late to the Red One set, ballooning the budget in the process, Dwayne called that ridiculous.

He adds, “[Being late] happens, too. But not that amount, by the way. That was a bananas amount.”

For one, the movie’s director, Jake Kasdan, backs him up, saying Johnson “never missed a day of work ever. … He can be late sometimes, but such is Hollywood — that’s the case with everybody.”

The filmmaker continues, “Honestly, I’ve made three big movies with him. I’ve never seen him be anything but great to every single person on the set.”

Johnson’s Red One co-star Chris Evans agrees, saying Johnson’s alleged tardiness was mostly due to his morning workout regimen — and it was already baked into his schedule. “He comes in slightly later on certain mornings, but it’s part of the plan. It’s worked into the schedules and everyone knows it, so he shows up when he’s scheduled to show up.”

Moreover, Evans singled out Johnson’s generosity toward the crew, routinely pouring tens of thousands of dollars into a weekly raffle. “I think on one Friday, Dwayne gave away something like close to a hundred thousand dollars,” Evans maintains.

 

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