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The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has been thinking about his next epic movie The Odyssey for decades
The Interstellar and Dark Knight director nearly helmed 2004's Troy and Christopher Nolan has been thinking about the world of The Odyssey ever since
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The Odyssey is, in many ways, the foundation of modern literature, and Christopher Nolan is far from the first person to adapt it for stage or screen. In fact, it is a movie Nolan has been wanting to make for decades. Christopher Nolan has had The Odyssey rattling around in his head since he nearly directed 2004’s Troy.
“I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct [2004 movie] Troy,” Christopher Nolan said in an interview with Empire Magazine. “Wolfgang [Petersen] had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [Batman Vs. Superman], he wanted it back. Fair enough. But at the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore. So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.”
We’d like to think that Christopher Nolan has done pretty well since having to give up helming Troy. His Dark Knight trilogy was a huge part of the resurgence of the comic book movie genre, while films like Inception and Interstellar have established him as a filmmaker who can balance mind-bending plots and effects with box office success. Still, he’s had The Odyssey bubbling away in the back of his mind for more than 20 years. That is a long time to wait; in fact, it is longer than Odysseus was away from home across both The Iliad and the Odyssey in the first place.
You'll be able to see if it was worth the wait when The Odyssey is released July 17, 2026.
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