In a recent interview, Christopher Nolan joked that Batman Begins served as a “consolation prize” after he didn’t get to direct Troy, a project he was originally hired for at Warner Bros.
The director opens up about the shuffle of studio plans while promoting his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, which finally gives him the ancient-Greek epic he wanted two decades ago.
Nolan Wanted To Direct Troy
Nolan told Empire he was first brought in by Warner Bros. to direct Troy (released in 2004, starring Brad Pitt) before the studio shifted course. Director Wolfgang Petersen had been developing the film and chose to reclaim it once his planned Batman vs. Superman project fell apart. Warner Bros. then handed Nolan the keys to Batman and The Dark Knight, setting up the start of his trilogy.
“I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct Troy,” he told Empire. “Wolfgang had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [Batman vs. Superman], he wanted [Troy] back.”
Nolan said he’d already become fascinated with the world of Greek mythology and had strong ideas about how he wanted to portray elements like the Trojan Horse. Those ideas stayed with him long after he moved on from the superhero genre.
“At the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore,” Nolan said. “So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.”
The Ideas Never Left
Nolan continued and said the lack of a modern, large-scale mythological epic with big-studio weight is what pushed him toward The Odyssey. He referenced the Ray Harryhausen films he grew up with and said Hollywood hasn’t tackled that style with the seriousness, budget, and IMAX scale he believes it deserves.
“As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with—Ray Harryhausen movies and other things—I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do,” said Nolan.
The Odyssey Arrives in 2026
After leaving Warner Bros. and delivering Oppenheimer for Universal — which earned seven Oscars and nearly hit $1B worldwide — Nolan is returning to the studio system with The Odyssey, set for a July 17, 2026 IMAX release.
The film features a massive ensemble including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, and Mia Goth.
Batman return?
There’s chatter that Nolan could actually return to Batman, possibly reteaming with Zack Snyder for the return of the SnyderVerse, depending on what happens with the sale of WBD.
Recently also saw Dark Knight writer David Goyer state he would return to Batman if Nolan ever did. Christian Bale has said similar.
