Christopher Nolan is adapting classic Greek poem The Odyssey by Homer for his next film, it’s been confirmed.
We’re catching up on a few stories following the festive break, so let’s start here.
Nobody can accuse Christopher Nolan of being complacent. After beginning his career with films like the low-budget Following, the mind bending Memento and thriller Insomnia, Nolan created arguably one of the greatest superhero trilogies of all time with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
Since then, Nolan has been ever more ambitious in his cinematic storytelling, from the epic beach scenes of Dunkirk to the innovative narrative of Tenet and the craftsmanship behind the build up of tension before the explosion in Oppenheimer.
His next film is somewhat surprising, and certainly not an easy text to adapt. According to Deadline, Nolan is turning Homer’s epic 8th century Greek poem The Odyssey into a film. It will not be the first adaptation of the text; there was also the 1954 Italian film Ulysses, directed by Mario Camerini and starring Kirk Douglas, as well as the 1997 miniseries The Odyssey, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Armand Assante. The Return, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, is based on the poem and will be released next year.
There was also the cult animated TV series Ulysses 31 (pictured above) which took the Odysseus story and turned it into an imaginative and occasionally quite eerie space opera.
There had been much speculation about what Nolan would choose as his next project, especially as the A-list cast gradually came together. Still wish he’d gone for Blue Thunder, tbh.
Still, we’re getting The Odyssey. The film will star Tom Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.
The poem is often described as one of the foundational texts of western literature. No pressure then. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War. It explores themes of heroism, loyalty, cunning, and the struggle against divine will. Some of the more iconic moments include encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens and the witch-goddess Circe, which culminates in a reunion with his wife, Penelope.
The Odyssey is expected to start shooting early this year. Here’s a sneak preview of what its opening scene could look like:
