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Christopher Nolan says online conversation is ambient Odyssey It is ultimately “irrelevant”.
In a recent interview with Telegraphthe Oscar-winning director responded to criticism surrounding his adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, which sparked online controversy over some of his casting choices and the use of American accents and modern dialogue in his trailers.
“It comes with the territory,” Nolan told the publication. “But look, these conversations that happen before people see the movie — they’re always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the movie actually is yet.”
The director went on to compare the early reaction to Odyssey With his beloved experience Dark Knight Triple.
“I’ve spent 10 years of my life dealing with Batman,” the 55-year-old said. “When I came to Batman Beginswriters and artists have been working on this beloved character for nearly 65 years, and there have been a lot of fraught ideas about what he represents. And what I’ve learned in my time with this trilogy is that you can’t worry about any of that at all. What you need to do is respect the original text by interpreting it in the strongest way personally possible.
Nolan remembers having faced similar doubts before Dark KnightEspecially after the late Heath Ledger was cast in the role of the Joker. At the time, Ledger was known for rom-com films such as 10 things I hate about you and A knight’s taleSome fans questioned the casting. Ledger eventually won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
“Ultimately, the fans enjoyed the property — even when we were doing something they wouldn’t have done — honestly trying to get as good a version of it on screen as possible,” Nolan added.
“So, when it comes down to it OdysseyAll I can do is make the best movie I can in the most sincere way. It’s very different from how anyone else might do it, but that’s the adaptation.
Nolan has also addressed Odyssey Use modern dialogue.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, the director said the decision was intended to make Homer’s story feel more modern to a modern audience.
“When you look at the ancient world, people tend to look at the ancient world in weird ways, and there’s a lot of cultural bias — elevating it just because it’s ancient,” he said. “When you go to the poem, what you find is something really earthy, grounded, and accessible. So, for me, in building the world of the film, what I talk about with all the actors is that I want to focus it on that and make it feel very fresh for modern audiences and get rid of some of those assumptions.”
After the film’s casting was announced, conservative commentator Matt Walsh criticized Lupita Nyong’o’s casting as Helen of Troy in posts on X, with Elon Musk responding to one of Walsh’s posts with approval. Musk also reacted to posts mocking Elliot Page’s casting as Sinon.
The epic stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, whose long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War brings him together with his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland). The cast also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Travis Scott, Charlize Theron, and more.
Odyssey It hits theaters on July 17.