Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey: Predictions for his Cinematic Epic
Prophecies and divinations from a literature nerd and film buff
I’m not alone in my love for Christopher Nolan’s films. You love them. I love them. Oppenheimer, The Dark Knight, Memento, Inception, The Prestige… I’ll even watch Insomnia if it’s on (which is totally underrated, in my humble opinion). As a recent Best Picture winner, he’s obviously been celebrated far and wide, but even before then, he’s maintained his credibility as one of the few filmmakers who consistently makes big budget, spectacle movies for film nerds (and coincidentally transforms every-day movie watchers into film nerds). His ability to blend cerebral storytelling with grand spectacle is unmatched, and his penchant for non-linear narratives keeps audiences engaged long after the credits roll. So, as both a literature nerd and a film buff, I couldn’t be more excited for his next project: an adaptation of The Odyssey.
The cast has been announced (!) and the movie is currently filming (!), so I decided to get a jumpstart and reread The Odyssey. As I read through, I couldn’t help but wonder how Christopher Nolan would adapt it, so… I grabbed Athene’s wand and did my best to forecast like the gods themselves.
Here are my best predictions for what Nolan will do with Homer’s legendary epic.
1. The Movie Will Be a Marathon, Literally
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Christopher Nolan, it’s that he’s not afraid of long runtimes (Interstellar clocked in at nearly three hours, and Oppenheimer hit the three-hour mark). Given the sheer scope of The Odyssey, I’m betting on a 3.5-hour runtime. This is a story packed with sprawling adventures, psychological depth, and intricate character arcs. Nolan will need the extra time to flesh out both Odysseus’ internal struggle and the treacherous journey home. I can even see an old-school intermission placed halfway through.
2. A Human-Centric Perspective on Mythology
Nolan isn’t one to lean heavily into supernatural elements. Even when he touches on them (The Prestige, Inception), they often come with an air of ambiguity or are grounded in reality. I expect The Odyssey to take a similar approach: gods will be present, but not in the overt, larger-than-life way we’re used to seeing in mythological adaptations. Instead, their influence will be suggested through nature, coincidences, and strange encounters. Imagine something akin to Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, where the mystical feels like an extension of the natural world rather than something overtly divine. Similar to Noah, there may be a tipping point where the surreal blends with the real.
3. We Will See the Origins of Myths
Nolan loves grounding even the most fantastical concepts in realism (Interstellar’s black hole physics, Batman Begins’ portrayal of Scarecrow, The Prestige’s climax reveal). So, don’t expect a giant, tentacled sea monster when Odysseus encounters Charybdis. It’ll just be a terrifyingly large whirlpool. The same treatment will likely be given to other legendary creatures; perhaps the Cyclops is just a particularly large, isolated shepherd with one eye due to injury (admittedly, Nolan will need to do something different than John Goodman did in O Brother, Where Art Thou?). These will be the basis of the myths, but more interesting: we will see the myths take shape as characters exaggerate the retelling of these encounters. Odysseus himself will contribute to his own legend, for example, as he recounts his own journey.
4. Flashbacks to the Boar Hunt
Anyone who’s seen Oppenheimer knows that Nolan is a master of circular storytelling. The same motifs and moments replay in different contexts, reframing our understanding of the character’s psyche. For The Odyssey, I predict that Odysseus’ childhood boar hunt (where he receives the scar that later identifies him) will be one of those motifs. It will appear throughout the film, perhaps mirroring his later battles, reinforcing themes of destiny, survival, and the longing for home.
5. The Madness of Odysseus
A central question of the film will likely be: Is Odysseus a brilliant strategist, a man truly communing with the gods, or is he just losing his mind? Many of Odysseus’ divine interactions happen when no one else is around, which makes for an interesting ambiguity, especially under Nolan’s direction. Odysseus’ men will likely become increasingly skeptical, especially as they start dying off, and a full-on mutiny could be a major plot thread. The theme of leadership under duress, and the thin line between genius and madness (perhaps influenced by the atrocities of war), will likely be central to the film.
6. The Trip to Hades: A Psychological Horror
Nolan has never made a full-fledged horror film, but his work frequently dips into unnerving territory (The Prestige’s obsession, Tenet’s existential time distortions, Memento’s haunting reveal). The trip to the underworld is ripe for this treatment. Rather than ghosts appearing as literal, visible entities, Odysseus’ journey to the land of the dead will likely be portrayed as a deeply psychological experience. Maybe the dead exist as voices in his head, maybe their warnings blur into his own thoughts. Either way, it will be ambiguous, eerie, and possibly even fuel the film’s central question: is Odysseus truly experiencing divine intervention, or is he just losing his grip on reality?
7. A More Proactive Penelope
If there’s one common criticism of Nolan, it’s his handling of female characters. The Odyssey doesn’t give him a lot to work with. Penelope spends most of the story crying and waiting. But given modern sensibilities (and probably a nudge from the studio), I expect her role to be expanded. Perhaps she’ll be more politically savvy, working behind the scenes to outmaneuver the suitors instead of just stalling them. Maybe she has her own subplot, a parallel odyssey of resilience and manipulation, rather than just waiting for Odysseus to return. This would not only strengthen the film’s emotional core but also give Nolan a chance to address long-standing critiques of his storytelling.
8. Possible Openings
Nolan’s movies often start in the middle of the action (Dunkirk, The Dark Knight), so I predict one of these two opening sequences:
Option 1: The film begins with Odysseus arriving, as if out of mist, at the court of Queen Arete. This is where he begins telling his story, allowing for a layered, non-linear narrative structure.
Option 2: We start with Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, drowning in the chaos of the suitors. Then, we hard-cut to a silent, brooding Odysseus on Calypso’s island: trapped, longing for home, but powerless.
The Bottom Line
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is bound to be an ambitious, cerebral, and visually stunning epic. Expect a deeply human take on the myth, where gods lurk in the margins, reality is constantly in question, and time bends as past and present collide. However he chooses to tell it, one thing is certain: This will not be your standard sword-and-sandals adaptation but something grander, stranger, and uniquely Nolan.
What are your predictions? Let me know in the comments!