A 13-hour audiobook of Homer’s “The Odyssey” narrated by an AI clone of Michael Caine went live on ElevenLabs’ ElevenReader platform on a Tuesday in late June, a few weeks before Christopher Nolan’s film of the same epic reaches theaters. Listeners can get it for free.
Caine is not in Nolan’s movie, which stars Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Zendaya and opens in the U.S. on July 17. His voice, though, carries the audio version. NBC News says it was replicated with his permission, down to the gravel and the thick Cockney accent.
How it was made
Besides Caine’s replica, the audiobook uses 20 other AI-generated voices, plus AI-generated sound effects and music. A team of four producers built it in six weeks. The text is William Cullen Bryant’s English translation from the 1870s, which is in the public domain.
Caine licensed his voice to ElevenLabs’ Iconic Marketplace in a deal reached last November, announced in late 2025. The marketplace lets companies license famous voices. NBC News reports it also lists Stan Lee, David Hasselhoff, Thomas Edison, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Optimus Prime and Mr. Potato Head. This is the first time the platform has used one of those voices for a full audiobook.
“‘The Odyssey’ is one of the greatest stories ever told,” Caine said in a statement. “By bridging classical storytelling with digital innovation, this timeless epic is reimagined for modern audiences.”
Dustin Blank, who oversees talent and strategic partnerships at ElevenLabs, called Caine “a legend” whose voice “means so much to so many people,” according to ElevenLabs’ own account of the project. Jack McDermott, the company’s head of mobile growth and marketing, told the New York Times the aim was to show “what’s possible in the responsible use of AI voice featuring an iconic voice.” It was also a way to show authors and creators what ElevenReader can do.
The backlash
Not everyone liked it. Online criticism landed quickly, some of it from people in the entertainment industry who took issue with Caine licensing his voice.
Director Ben Mekler posted sarcastically that he had always loved the sound of an actor’s voice but “HATED having to see them make interesting choices.” Filmmaker Brian Duffield wrote on X that he would “happily buy a real Michael Caine impersonator reading The Odyssey over this nonsense.” Voice actor Kyle Hebert wrote: “If he approved, at least there’s that. Easy payday, I guess.”
Similar outrage met the announcements last year of Caine’s and Matthew McConaughey’s partnerships with ElevenLabs. Blank told the Times that listeners will settle the question. “Audiences will decide, at the end of the day,” he said. “No one’s forcing this in our ears.”
Sources
- AI Version of Michael Caine Narrates 'The Odyssey' Audiobook
- An AI-generated Michael Caine is narrating Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ now
Sources
- AI Michael Caine narrates The Odyssey audiobook via ElevenLabs…
- AI Version of Michael Caine Narrates 'The Odyssey' Audiobook
