Christopher Nolan Explains Why He Went for Contemporary Dialogue in The Odyssey, but Admits the Decision 'Might Bite Me on the Ass'

Tom Holland’s Telemachus tells Robert Pattinson’s villainous Antinous, “my dada is coming home.” It’s conscionable a azygous enactment of dialog revealed successful a trailer for The Odyssey backmost successful May — but it surely got radical talking.

Holland and beauteous overmuch the full formed of Christopher Nolan’s epic talk successful plain aged American English, which immoderate person taken contented with. After all, this is an adaptation of Homer's past Greek epic the Odyssey, and “my dada is coming home” possibly doesn’t acceptable the setting.

Nolan’s The Odyssey is officially described arsenic a “mythic enactment epic,” but ever since we got our archetypal look astatine Matt Damon arsenic Odysseus, the heroic king of Ithaca, the writer and manager has faced questions astir his movie’s humanities accuracy — oregon inaccuracy, arsenic immoderate person enactment it. Those questions ramped up successful December past year, erstwhile the debut trailer for The Odyssey revealed Agamemnon’s imposing, each achromatic suit. As 1 commenter joked astatine the time: “Had nary thought Ancient Greeks utilized Batman helmets and sailed successful Viking ships. Seriously, however hard is it to look astatine the representation of what the existent happening looked like?”

Nolan defended The Odyssey from specified complaints earlier this year, but present he’s explained, specifically, his determination astir The Odyssey’s dialogue.

In an interrogation with the Los Angeles Times, Nolan said helium wanted to find “language that has affectional not intelligence meaning to people,” and truthful went for modern dialog alternatively than artificially elevated speech.

But helium admitted helium mightiness person called it wrong. “I was possibly being naïve, it mightiness wound maine connected the ass,” helium said, “but I wanted an earthy narrative. To maine it was a no-brainer.”

Nolan went connected to importune that his casting choices were, similarly, astir putting modern faces connected characters from past myth. For example, Lupita Nyong’o plays Helen of Troy, Jon Bernthal plays Sparta’s King Menelaus, and Zendaya plays the goddess Athena.

“These are mythological figures, iconic successful immoderate ways,” Nolan said. “I wanted to formed it big, get the finest clump of actors,” because, arsenic the LA Times enactment it, their acquainted faces would assistance a modern assemblage consciousness astatine location successful an past story.

The Odyssey hits theaters connected July 17, 2026.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].