Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’: A new definition of an epic
Christopher Nolan‘s next film, Odyssey, has created a stir among cinema lovers with its first glimpse. This epic film, to be released in July 2026, will bring to the screen the incredible journey of the Greek king Odysseus, with Matt Damon playing the lead role. Odysseus, who has fought in the siege of Troy, struggles for ten years to return to his kingdom, Ithaca.
The expectations of the audience regarding historical and mythological films have always been high, but many big-budget films have also disappointed. Films like Alexander could not make an impact despite their grandeur. However, the precise storytelling ability and deep cinematic vision of Nolan’s films can make Odyssey an extraordinary experience.
The film will be a new and impressive cinematic adaptation of ancient author Homer’s epic poem ‘The Odyssey’, proving Nolan’s directorial ability to take historical narratives to new heights for modern audiences.
Historical link between Nolan’s Odyssey and Troy
The Return*, which came out in 2024 and was directed by Uberto Pasolini, presented Odysseus’ epic journey as a stand-alone story, starring Ralph Fiennes. But if Christopher Nolan’s *Odyssey* is to be seen as a historical or mythological prequel, we have to go back two decades—to 2004, when Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy brought Homer’s Iliad to life on the big screen.
Troy depicted the final days of the Trojan War, a decade-long conflict between Greek and Trojan forces. Interestingly, Nolan’s Odyssey also expands on the same mythological saga but unfolds the story after the Trojan War. Both films have some notable similarities—the biggest budgets of their time, a stellar cast of internationally renowned actors, and gorgeous exotic locations to bring the ancient world to life. Now it remains to be seen how Nolan presents this historical epic in his signature style.
Troy: Love, Betrayal and the Beginning of War
In the 12th century B.C., Greece’s powerful king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) was unifying the kingdoms. Meanwhile, Troy’s princes Hector (Eric Bana) and Paris (Orlando Bloom) arrived in Sparta, where Paris fell in love with Helen (Diane Kruger), the wife of Sparta’s king Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson). Paris brought her with him to Troy, giving the Greeks a reason for war.
The Greek army prepared to recover Helen, and King Odysseus (Sean Bean) of Ithaca persuaded the great warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) to join the battle. King Priam (Peter O’Toole) of Troy offered Helen refuge, but the Greek army attacked and captured the island on the beach. Achilles wins a landslide victory and takes Briseis (Rose Byrne) captive, but when Agamemnon snatches her, Achilles’ anger flares up, making the war even more fierce.
The Destruction of Troy: A Tale of War, Vengeance and Deceit
On the advice of the Trojan warrior Glaucus (James Cosmo), Troy assembles its entire army. Meanwhile, Paris (Orlando Bloom) challenges King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) of Sparta to a duel for his beloved Helen. Menelaus nearly defeats Paris, but Hector (Eric Bana) kills Menelaus to save his younger brother. This enrages the Greek army, and they attack Troy, but Agamemnon (Brian Cox) orders them to retreat due to heavy losses.
Meanwhile, Briseis (Rose Byrne) plans to kill Achilles (Brad Pitt), but the two eventually fall in love. Achilles announces his withdrawal, but his cousin Patroclus (Garrett Hedlund) dons his armor and goes into battle. Hector mistakes him for Achilles and kills him, enraging Achilles and vowing vengeance.
Achilles challenges Hector to a duel. After sending his wife Andromache (Saffron Burroughs) to safety, Hector dismounts, but Achilles defeats and kills him and drags his body away. Troy’s aged King Priam (Peter O’Toole) begs Achilles to return his son’s body so a funeral can be held.
Odysseus (Sean Bean) devises the Trojan Horse strategy, tricking the Greek army into entering Troy’s walls. They sack the city, killing most of the people and enslaving the rest. Briseis kills Agamemnon, while Paris kills Achilles with a fatal arrow. In the end, Odysseus cremates her body, and Briseis escapes with Paris, while Troy burns to ashes.
‘Troy’: When history and mythology met
Big Hollywood films are often accused of historical errors, but Troy is different. It is not just a historical film but also a myth, making it a little tricky to question its accuracy. Historians believe that Troy was a real place, and archaeological evidence suggests that a huge war took place there in the Bronze Age, a glimpse of which is seen in the Iliad. On the other hand, Christopher Nolan’s new film is already facing criticism for historical inaccuracies. But when it comes to mythology, is it right to judge films completely on historical grounds? Especially when it is not even certain whether Homer, the author of the Iliad, actually existed or not!
While these controversies are in their place, Troy should be praised for its strong storytelling. It was not easy to convert the 15,693-line Iliad into a three-hour film, but director Wolfgang Petersen and writer David Benioff (yes, the one from Game of Thrones) did it well. It made some changes to the original epic, left out some parts, and also took inspiration from other historical works like Posthomerica, but still it turned out to be a great cinematic experience. Bringing historical and mythological sagas to the big screen is not easy, but Troy was completely successful in this challenge and made its place in the hearts of the audience.
‘Troy’ battle scenes: The grandeur of epic battles
When it comes to battle scenes, Troy stands out from any other film. Its battles are filmed with depth and grandeur, in keeping with the epic spirit of the source material. In particular, the duel between Hector and Achilles becomes the most memorable moment of the film. Their fight is not only brutal and intense, but it also has an emotional depth, reflecting the character of both warriors—the restrained and dignified Hector on one side and the ruthless and uncompromising Achilles on the other.
The biggest specialty of the film is that while maintaining a balance between so many strong characters, each character is presented in a great way. One of these is Odysseus, played by Sean Bean. Although he does not have much screen time, his role is linked to many important events of the film. He prepares Achilles to fight, he strategizes the Trojan horse, and finally, he cremates Achilles’ body. The 2007 director’s cut gave Odysseus’ character more depth, which also changed the original tone of the film.
Now, Christopher Nolan is coming up with The Odyssey, and it will be interesting to see how he presents this character. In Homer’s magnum opus, Odysseus takes a decade to return home to Ithaca, and similarly, the audience has also waited for the return of this character on screen after almost 20 years. Given Nolan’s style, his project is going to thrill not only movie lovers but also fans of the classics.
