How Will Nolan Portray Odysseus’ Dark Choices?

As the anticipation builds for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2026, buzz surrounding Matt Damon’s portrayal of Odysseus continues to grow. This famed hero’s ten-year voyage back home after the Trojan War isn’t just a tale of adventure; it’s a complex exploration of morality and the human condition. While audiences enjoy the charm of an epic journey filled with mystical beings and formidable trials, the ethical dilemmas posed by Odysseus’s choices cannot be ignored.

Joining Damon in this star-studded cast are Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Anne Hathaway, Elliot Page, and Mia Goth, among others, creating an ensemble that is sure to draw audiences in.

However, it’s Harvard professor Gregory Nagy, an authority in Classical Greek Literature, who raises pertinent questions about the film’s portrayal of a character described as a “trickster figure.” In an enlightening interview with ScreenRant‘s Owen Danoff, Nagy pointed out that some of Odysseus’s actions, particularly a shocking moment involving the killing of a child, complicate his role as a hero.

“Even The Odyssey is aware of a very, very questionable few moments in Odysseus’ life where he actually kills a child in war. How do you like that? And what are we going to do with it? Is Matt Damon going to kill a kid?”

Nagy elaborates on the emotional weight of this moment in the narrative, questioning how Nolan will address this controversial event. The challenge lies in intertwining the past and present, a hallmark of Nolan’s storytelling style. “He’s this total stranger who’s washed up onshore,” Nagy continues, emphasizing the royal hosts’ moral decency in welcoming Odysseus without knowing his true identity.

“So they don’t ask who he is; they just give him a very fancy dinner. And then the idea is, ‘Well, quid pro quo, after I feast, they’re so nice to me that [I’ll] tell them who I am and my story.’”

This layered storytelling, where Odysseus hesitates to reveal himself until a blind singer performs tales of Troy, highlights the complexity inherent in his character. Nagy underlines a pivotal moment: as Odysseus listens to the retelling of a horrific act—where he takes the child of Hector and Andromache to throw him to his death—he finds himself emotionally shattered.

“The camera, so to speak, moves away from this story within a story, and you see the audience experiencing the same pain that the victim of a war crime experiences. How the hell are you going to do that in a movie?”

Cinematic Journey Into Darkness

Navigating Odysseus’ Complicated Morality

Nolan’s pivot from science fiction and war narratives to the fantasy realm with The Odyssey is intriguing. Yet, the film’s foundational themes surrounding homecoming and resilience resonate with his previous works like Interstellar, Inception, and Tenet. Nagy’s insights voice a growing concern: Will these morally complex elements find their way into the script?

While featuring such intense moments doesn’t pose a technical challenge for Nolan, it raises the stakes for audience reception. Historically, Nolan’s characters reside in shades of gray, grappling with their choices and their consequences. Yet how far will he go in depicting Odysseus’s brutality?

Pondering the Path Ahead

Exploring Morality through Epic Narrative

As fans await the film’s release, there is a shared sentiment that if Nolan decides to include such dark elements, he will adeptly amplify their emotional weight. The thought process around portraying Odysseus’s controversial decisions not only makes for compelling storytelling but also aligns with modern cinematic expectations that seek to challenge conventional notions of heroism.

Nagy’s analysis only strengthens excitement for The Odyssey, ensuring that audiences are ready for a thought-provoking journey through one of literature’s most celebrated tales, reimagined through Nolan’s unique lens. It’s not enough to just see Odysseus return home; we must also reckon with the complexities that define his journey and moral landscape.

As we traverse this new adaptation, the real question looms: can cinema convey the emotional complexities of Odysseus’s story—with all its darkness and nuance—successfully?