Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: Reinventing The Epic Fantasy Genre?

Ever since the release of Oppenheimer, there has been much speculation about Christopher Nolan’s next film. The internet was abuzz at the possibility of Nolan working on Bond 26, but that idea was nixed by the possibility of him writing and directing a big budget adaptation of 1960s cult TV series, The Prisoner.

Then the rumors fell silent until late this year when Universal announced that Matt Damon and later Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron would star in Nolan’s next film.

With cast announcements made, there was still no word on what Nolan’s next project would be. That all changed today with Universal Studios making an official announcement that Nolan will write and direct an ambitious adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey. 

What Is The Odyssey About?

Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem which follows on from events in The Illiad, see hero and Greek king Odysseus make the perilous journey from the battlefields of Troy to his kingdom, Ithaca. The journey is eventful with Odysseus and his crew encountering gods, goddesses, monsters of every description and strange new lands. The journey tests Odysseus’ metal as a leader, with a series of unfortunate events keeping him from his home for a decade. 

When he makes it back to Ithaca he is welcomed by suitors competing for his wife’s affection. 

This epic delves into courage, fidelity, and cleverness, all which are tested against the whims of the gods. Struggle and sacrifice are the backbone of this mythical tale, with the overarching theme being that sacrifices must be made in order to achieve one’s objective. 

The Odyssey’s Themes Perfect For Nolan

It is perfect material for Nolan, who knows how to bring clever characters and plots to life. Further more, the director’s fascination with time, the effects of time, how time is perceived is an integral part of the story. The timelessness of the gods is contrasted with the mortality of humans in this tale, and certainly the ravages of time—especially loss—play a central part in Odysseus’s journey. The Odyssey is as much psychological as it is an epic fantasy; a cornerstone work in Greek mythology.

By now, many will be familiar with the most memorable moments of The Odyssey including Odysseus’s encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus, the enchanting Sirens, the seductive Circe, and the many-headed sea monster Scylla.

All these encounters are tests of courage, intelligence and determination that lead to the attainment of one’s goal, which certainly remains relevant today.

Penelope’s Story Is Just As Important As Odysseus’s Journey

The story not only centres on Odysseus’ journey home, as his wife Penelope is faced with an important test of her own. While fidelity is a central theme in her story, like it is for Odysseus when he encounters Circe, Penelope’s courage, wits, and determination are also tested by those hoping to win her hand in marriage and take control of her missing husband’s kingdom. The testing of her suitors is to keep them at bay while she awaits for her husband to return and retake his kingdom.

The story demonstrates that Penelope is very much like her husband Odysseus.

Nolan Already Touched on The Odyssey in Interstellar

One can’t help compare The Odyssey with Nolan’s Interstellar which involves an epic travel across time and space, to strange new planets and requiring our heroes to pass many physical challenges. 

For years, many had noticed the similarities between Interstellar and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. But there is also a profound similarity between Interstellar and Homer’s epic poem. Like The Odyssey, Interstellar involves an epic journey from an alien environment through a series of physical and mental challenges back to the hero’s home, where his family awaits and, unbeknownst to him, undergo their own challenges. 

Cooper is not Odysseus, but they do share similar challenges. The similarities in Odysseus’s journey and his wife waiting back home is mimicked in Interstellar, in which Cooper’s journey is contrasted with his daughter waiting for his return. Finally after much time and after many challenges, both characters are reunited, with his daughter faithfully continuing her father’s work to help humanity survive the death of Earth on a vast terraformed space station. 

His daughter replaces Odysseus’s wife Penelope in Homer’s tale, and Nolan’s film certainly isn’t just The Odyssey set in time and space. It’s a homage that in its deconstruction follows similar themes, characterization, and challenges.

Now, Nolan has all but proven the connection between Interstellar and Homer’s poem, by making The Odyssey his next movie.

A More Profound Exploration of The Hero’s Journey?

While The Odyssey does seem to be a synthesis of previous themes explored in his previous filmography as a whole, mythical action is something new to Nolan.

Nolan, with his vast literary understanding, is sure to attempt the definitive Hero’s Journey tale, which Hollywood has hitched its wagon to in all its genre movies since George Lucas popularized Joseph Campbell’s work with 1977’s Star Wars. 

Nolan, of course, will not just do a straight forward hero’s journey for Odysseus. All his films tend to be layered with meaning, references, and usually present audiences with an intriguing philosophical discussion. His films often use the action genre as a delivery system for discussing big, complex ideas. Expect The Odyssey to do the same.

Nolan considers Gladiator 2 his favorite film of 2024, and was once considered to helm Troy, based on Homer’s The Illiad. 

So, there has been wind in Nolan’s sails pointing him towards making an ancient Greek epic of his own for some time, which, until today, nobody really saw coming. 

Who’s Playing Who And What Is This New IMAX Technology?

We don’t know who is playing who in The Odyssey, but there has been some good speculation.

The best comes from Christopher Nolan Art & Updates, below.

The speculation is intriguing, but perhaps more so is the new IMAX technology that Universal teases in their announcement.

Nolan likes using celluloid, and is no stranger to using new technology, as was evident in the new format created to shoot Oppenheimer. 

It certainly is unsurprising that Nolan would, once again, want to push the boundaries of storytelling and the technology used to capture it.

Will Nolan Reinvent the Epic Fantasy Genre? The Enormity He Faces.

Adapting The Odyssey is a big risk even for Nolan, as the source material has been long regarded as unfilmable. The same was said about Lord of the Rings until Peter Jackson thrilled audiences with his trilogy. Jackson also faced pushing the boundaries of storytelling and technology in the early 2000s. 

So could this be the next big screen fantasy epic since Jackson’s Lord of the Rings?

Could Nolan reinvent the fantasy genre like he reinvented blockbuster filmmaking with Batman Begins and later Inception?

Nolan is a writer-director known for taking big swings, and his version of The Odyssey, as discussed, won’t just be a serviceable adaptation leaning on what has been done before.

But just because Nolan has succeeded in pushing the scope of the blockbuster in almost every film he has done, this does not automatically translate into success for The Odyssey. 

This is an extremely difficult epic to translate onto the big screen, with many past adaptations—both good and bad—and all mostly dealing with the surface action and spectacle and failing to provide any real depth to Homer’s and ancient Greek mythology’s profound philosophy. There is a reason why Homer’s work is considered a foundational work for western thought, and the enormous responsibility will not be lost on Nolan.

Nolan seems to be able to remain grounded despite his huge success, thus far evading the hubris that often plagues filmmakers that reach an enviable level of success in Hollywood, leading to less-than-stellar works in their later years.

Hopefully this will continue for such an important work.

Nonetheless, The Odyssey will be a fascinating project when it is released in mid-2026.

The one big hope is that it reignites audience’s fascination with reading Homer’s great work, as Nolan has always tried to bridge the divide between watching blockbusters and reading classic literature.

Nolan is expected to begin filming in the first three months of next year. This will be Nolan’s second film for Universal following the success of Oppenheimer.