Christopher Nolan has never been interested in making the expected version of a story, and The Odyssey is proving that once again.
Ever since the first trailers dropped, fans have been debating one creative choice more than almost anything else. Instead of attempting ancient Greek speech, a more old-fashioned style of dialogue, or a British accent, the characters in The Odyssey speak contemporary English, with many of the cast using American accents.
For a story rooted in Homer’s epic poem from the 8th or 7th century BC, it caught plenty of people off guard and sparked a flood of discussion across social media.
Now, ahead of the film’s theatrical release, Nolan has explained exactly why he made that choice, and he knew it might not be universally embraced.
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Nolan said his priority as the film’s screenwriter was making sure audiences connected with what the characters were saying on an emotional level rather than getting hung up on historical authenticity.
He explained that he wanted to focus on “language that has emotional not intellectual meaning to people.” That’s why the characters speak modern English instead of using dialogue modeled after Homer’s original text.
Nolan admitted there was some risk involved in making that call, saying: “I was maybe being naïve, it might bite me on the ass, but I wanted an earthy narrative. To me it was a no-brainer.”
Let’s be honest, though… the real reason is because Matt Damon can’t pull off a proper British accent. But, while The Odyssey is one of history’s most influential stories, Nolan wants audiences to believe that by using contemporary English, the audience will feel more connected to these legendary figures.
The movie is also packed with a strong cast that also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, and more.
Nolan believed these mythological characters deserved performers who already carried a certain larger-than-life presence.
He explained: “They are mythological figures, iconic in some ways, so I wanted to cast it big, get the finest bunch of actors.”
The movie has also weathered a couple of other online debates leading up to its release. One centered on the armor designs, with some viewers comparing parts of the costumes to the modern Batsuit from Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Earlier this year, the filmmaker defended those creative choices by pointing to historical research.
He said: “There are Mycenaean daggers that are blackened bronze. The theory is they probably could have blackened bronze in those days. You take bronze, you add more gold and silver to it and then use sulfur… With Agamemnon, Ellen [Mirojnick], our costume designer, is trying to communicate how elevated he is relative to everyone else. You do that through materials that would be very expensive.”
Another talking point came after rapper Travis Scott appeared in one of the early trailers as a bard. The casting surprised a lot of viewers, but Nolan saw it as a fitting way to acknowledge how The Odyssey survived for generations before it was ever written down.
He explained: “I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap.”
Whether audiences embrace every creative swing or not, Nolan clearly wasn’t interested in delivering a conventional adaptation of one of the greatest stories ever told.
Between the modern dialogue, the star-studded cast, and some unexpected casting choices, The Odyssey looks like it’s aiming to make an ancient epic feel immediate for today’s audiences.
We’ll find out how well that approach works when The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17 from Universal Pictures.
