The Odyssey boasts an impressive cast that is on par with the sheer scale and scope of the movie, and will theoretically follow the major plot lines of the ancient literary work of the Greek poet Homer. Set after the Trojan War and the other events chronicled in Homer's The Iliad, The Odyssey follows the hero Odysseus (rumored to be played by Matt Damon) on his 10-year journey home.

Christopher Nolan has evolved into one of the film industry's most-awarded and celebrated directors, and his movies famously involve complex stories, well-developed characters, and mind-melting higher concepts. As many of Nolan's movies involve metaphysical themes, it seems likely that there will be some alterations to the story told in The Odyssey in his hands, as opposed to just a visual portrayal of the story on the page. Regardless of how Nolan handles the screenplay, The Odyssey will share a related commonality with Oppenheimer.

Christopher Nolan Is Once Again Adapting A Pre-Existing Work After Oppenheimer

While Nolan Will Write And Direct, There Is Existing Source Material

Some of Nolan's most famous works are original, written and directed by the man himself. While the Dark Knight trilogy obviously had its roots in the Batman comic books, Tenet, Interstellar, and Inception were all completely original screenplays with influences from other works. However, The Odyssey, like Oppenheimer, will be based on a pre-existing work. The Odyssey will, of course, have its basis in a classic piece of literature, while Oppenheimer was largely based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

The Odyssey, and its companion work, The Iliad, are considered to be two of the oldest literary works that are still widely read and studied by the public and modern scholars. The epic poem is divided into 24 books, and follows the Greek hero Odysseus on his meandering journey from Troy to his home in Ithaca by way of modern-day Africa and Southern Europe. It's widely agreed that it was originally composed in the 8th century BCE by the Greek poet Homer, but given that it was ed down orally over the ages, it's difficult to definitively know its origins.

The Odyssey Is Vastly Different From Anything Nolan Has Done So Far

The Fantasy Elements At Play Will Be New Ground For Nolan

Assuming that Nolan sticks with the actual story depicted in The Odyssey, there will be significant fantasy elements, which would be relatively new territory for the accomplished director. While Nolan has played with science fiction at length, his films are typically grounded in science and realism, even if some of the higher concepts surrounding time and memory are counterfactual. He has also done great work stepping outside the modern time frame, with some of his strongest movies (ex. Dunkirk, The Prestige, Oppenheimer) invoking a historical setting.

The Odyssey will allow him to flex his muscles again when it comes to creating an environment from the past, but with fantasy elements mixed in. The Odyssey heavily involves several of the Greek gods, like Athena, Poseidon, and Zeus, and sees Odysseus and his crew clash with monsters from across the Mediterranean. It wouldn't be surprising to see Nolan infuse sci-fi into the narrative somehow, but one of the most exciting prospects of the movie is seeing what Nolan does with something that truly challenges his own thematic norms and tendencies.

Oppenheimer Was Not Christopher Nolan’s First Movie Based On A Book

The Legendary Director Has Adapted Existing Works Before

The Dark Knight trilogy notwithstanding, Christopher Nolan has notably adapted written works before Oppenheimer and The Odyssey. His 2000 psychological thriller Memento, starring Guy Pearce, was adapted from a short story written by Nolan's screenwriter brother, Jonathan Nolan. After serving as the basis for the movie, the short story titled Memento Mori (Latin for " that you [have to] die") was formally published in 2001, so technically the movie did come before the "book" in that instance.

Technically, Nolan's first feature was the 1998 neo-noir crime thriller Following, which was made as cheaply as possible; it had just a $6,000 budget and a 70-minute runtime, so it typically is not included in most of Nolan's major filmography lists. Elements of the award-winning movie made it into Inception, including a serial burglar character named Cobb.

Another Nolan psychological thriller, The Prestige, was directly adapted from a book, in this case the 1995 novel of the same name by Christopher Priest. While the general notes from the novel are retained, like the concept of the story being told through dueling diaries, Nolan obviously put his own fingerprints on the story and visuals. Something similar should happen with The Odyssey, where most of the major plot points are stuck to, but Nolan puts his own slant on the themes at play and the overall aesthetic.