For Christopher Nolan, Homer was “the Marvel of his time”
The director draws an amusing parallel between the Greek epic and today’s comic book culture.
No, The Odyssey is not just a dusty old text: it is quite simply the ancestor of modern blockbusters!
Better yet, for Christopher Nolan, the writer Homer was even the Marvel of Antiquity…
Guest Monday evening on the show The Late Show by Stephen Colbert, the director established a rather amusing parallel between the Greek epic and today’s comic culture:
“All comics culture, whether Marvel, DC or the rest, derives largely from the Homeric epics. The thing is, around Homer, there’s this idea that no one really knows if it was just one person. In a way, he’s a bit like the George Lucas of his time.”
For Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey is already full of what makes current blockbusters so special: larger-than-life heroes, mythological figures and an imagination where the gods can intervene directly in the world of men.
“Homer was the Marvel of his time. There is this very direct desire to believe that the gods could walk among us. And the modern comic book is a bit our way of expressing that today…“
The filmmaker also took the opportunity to say all the good things he thinks of Tom Holland, who plays Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, in his adaptation of The Odyssey :
“Tom is an incredible actor. I’ve never worked with him before, but I’d love to do it again. He is an absolutely exceptional talent..”
The Odyssey will be Christopher Nolan’s 13th feature film. The filmmaker wrote the screenplay, adapted from Homer’s ancient poem, and produced it alongside Emma Thomas via their company Syncopy. Universal Pictures is responsible for distribution.
The Odyssey will be released on IMAX® screens and will be released in theaters throughout France on July 15, 2026.
