Christopher Nolan’sThe Odysseyis finally going to deliver the sequel toTroyI’ve wanted since 2004. The Academy Award-winning Nolan is following up his nearly-billion-dollar grossing masterpiece,Oppenheimer, with an ambitious adaptation of Homer’s eponymous epic poem.The Odysseyis the tale ofOdysseus (Matt Damon)and his perilous journey home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War.
Adapting Homer’sIlliad, directorWolfgang Petersen’sTroycentered on the demigod Achilles (Brad Pitt), the lead warrior of King Agamemnon’s (Brian Cox) invasion of the walled city of Troy.Troy’s impressive cast included Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris,Diane Kruger as Helen, Rose Byrne as Briseis, and Peter O’Toole as Priam, King of Troy.
My favorite, however, was Odysseus (Sean Bean). The King of Ithica, Odysseus, was one of the few Achilles respected and who could speak truth to the demigod’s power.
Christopher Nolan Is Making The Odyssey 21 Years After Wolfgang Peterson’s Troy
Odysseus' Story Waited Two Decades For A Big Screen Epic
Troy’s ending saw the sack of the city of Troy via the Greeks' Trojan horse gambit and the tragic death of Achilles, who was slain by Paris. After the city fell, a funeral pyre was held for Achilles, which was overseen by Odysseus.Troy’s conclusion begged for a sequel adaptingThe Odysseyheadlined by Sean Bean.However, despiteTroygrossing nearly $500 million worldwide in 2004, no sequel toTroymaterialized.
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At last,Christopher Nolan’sThe Odysseyis the ersatz sequel thatTroynever got. With plans to film throughout the Aeolian Islands in Sicily, Italy, using new IMAX technology, Nolan will finally giveThe Odysseythe high level of sophisticated filmmaking that madeOppenheimerone of 2023’s biggest films.
Nolan assembled an enviable cast forThe Odyssey, with Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, and many more joining Matt Damon’s weary warrior on his titular odyssey.
Will The Odyssey Bring Back Hollywood’s Historical Epics?
Nolan Could Reignite An Entire Genre
Christopher Nolan is one of the few Academy Award-winning directorswhose name alone sells his movies. Nolan’s reputation and proven track record of high-end blockbusters likeInception, The Dark Knight Trilogy,Interstellar,andOppenheimervirtually guarantee audiences will flock toThe Odysseyin 2026.Nolan’sThe Odysseymay singlehandedly reignite historical epics as a genre, provoking other studios to green-light their own sword-and-sandals spectacles.
Christopher Nolan is unlikely to cheat the magnitude of Odysseus' fateful voyage home.
Troywas, in part, a response to the critical and box office success of Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy. Wolfgang Petersen’sTroywas a grand spectacle of bloody battles and expansive scope, but it had notable flaws. Among them, screenwriter David Benioff (co-creator ofGame of Thrones) compressed the 10-year war of Troy into a few short weeks. As both writer and director ofThe Odyssey,the detail-focused Christopher Nolan is unlikely to cheat the magnitude of Odysseus' fateful voyage home.
Why Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Is So Exciting
Nolan May Depict Epic The Greek Mythology Troy Didn’t
Christopher Nolan’s movieshave been increasingly ambitious in scope, butThe Odysseycould mark a departure for the director. Nolan’s films are grounded in realism; even his tackling of magic inThe Prestige, dreams inInception, Batman’s comic book mythology, and time reversal inTenet, were rooted in reality.The Odysseycould mean Nolan truly indulging in historical fantasy for the first time,especially if he goes all in depicting the trials Odysseus faced in his 10-year voyage to Ithaca.
Troyavoided depicting the Greek gods, and downplayed Achilles' status as a demigod as the son of the sea nymph, Thetis.
A proper adaptation ofThe Odysseywould include fantastic creatures like the giant Cyclops, the witch Circe, the seductive Sirens, and the Greek gods Athena and Poseidon. It’s an exciting turn for Nolan to utilize his filmmaking powers toward bringing classical Greek mythology, with its gods and monsters, to life. Christopher Nolan’sThe Odysseyis poised to not only be a makeshift sequel toTroybut to be a historical sand and sandals epic that goes far beyond whatTroyaccomplished.
