More details on Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” have emerged from stories out of an Empire Magazine feature issue on the title.
First up, Nolan has confirmed that back in the very early 2000s that he was hired by Warner Bros. Pictures to direct “Troy,” the film all set to be his next after 2002’s “Insomnia”.
Then… Wolfgang Petersen’s “Batman vs. Superman” project fell through and the filmmaker, who had more clout than Nolan at the time, wanted “Troy” back – a film that he had originally developed after all.
Warners gave it to Petersen while Nolan opted to do another project as a consolation prize – “Batman Begins”.
The result? “Troy” made a very good $497 million worldwide but landed mixed reviews – the film doing little favours for anyone though landed acclaim for Eric Bana’s work as Hector and, to a lesser extent, Brad Pitt as Achilles. The production value and costume design was also lauded.
“Batman Begins” fared worse box-office wise with $375.4 million, but that film was not only highly acclaimed it is still considered one of the most influential films of the 2000s.
The title really ushered in the era of reboots and created the modern template for revitalising a franchise with a tonal and quality shift (“Casino Royale” the following year cemented that).
Nolan has since gone on to become one of the biggest power players in the film industry. Petersen did one more film after “Troy,” that being 2006’s “Poseidon,” and then essentially left Hollywood.
Just over twenty years on, Nolan’s “The Odyssey” arrives and next month will see what’s being oddly dubbed a ‘prologue’ sequence by some outlets on copies of “Avatar: Fire and Ash”. The sacking of Troy and a brief glimpse of the Cyclops are reportedly seen in the footage.
“The Odyssey” opens in cinemas July 17th 2026.
