Could Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Actually Be A Non-Linear Epic?
An oral tradition may get a big modern upgrade.
Christopher Nolan has always made epic movies, but they’re usually about sci-fi adventures or historical events. His next project, however, is capital-E Epic, an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, the epic poem written thousands of years ago. The cast is starting to stack up, ranging from stars Matt Damon and Tom Holland to Mia Goth, who will apparently play a non-speaking role.
We now have confirmation of who Matt Damon is playing in The Odyssey, and it confirms fan speculation — and fuels the possibility that a classic Nolan technique will be repeated. In the first-look image for the film, we see Matt Damon decked out in Ancient Greek armor as Odysseus, the hero at the center of a decade-long journey back to his homeland of Ithaca.
The Odyssey has always been teased as being a movie with two leads: Matt Damon and Tom Holland. Now that we know Matt Damon is playing Odysseus, that leaves an obvious role for Tom Holland: Telemachus, Odysseus’ son who grows up while the hero is fighting in the Trojan War and making his way back to Ithaca. Some fans thought Holland would be playing a younger version of Odysseus, but this image implies Damon will be the only one in the role.
If Tom Holland is really playing Telemachus, that means The Odyssey will have a non-linear story structure, much like past Nolan films like Memento and Oppenheimer. While Odysseus is making his 10-year journey home, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus are forced to deal with a horde of unruly suitors seeking Penelope’s hand. It’s likely we’ll see Odysseus’ run-ins with a cyclops, sea witch, and other threats alongside Penelope and Telemachus’ perils back home, ending with Odysseus’ triumphant return and the ousting of all the suitors.
Tom Holland will probably play Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Telemachus’ role in the original poem is somewhat lower-profile, so if this casting is correct, it means The Odyssey will highlight an often-overlooked aspect of the story, while utilizing Nolan’s signature creative storytelling techniques.
The Odyssey may have originally been told through the oral tradition, but a film adaptation means the story can be updated to something more interesting to movie audiences. After all, the story is thousands of years old — a few updates here and there won’t hurt.
