Christopher Nolan is taking on one of the oldest stories ever told with The Odyssey, and he says his experience making Batman helped prepare him for the pressure.
Speaking with the Associated Press as part of its Summer Movie Preview, Nolan said The Odyssey felt like the kind of foundational story that needed to be made on the biggest possible scale, with modern Hollywood resources behind it.
The director also compared that pressure to what he faced when bringing Batman back to the big screen with The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Nolan Says The Odyssey Comes With ‘Massive’ Pressure
Nolan isn’t treating The Odyssey like a standard Hollywood adaptation.
The director said the story carries major weight because of what it means to audiences and to the history of epic storytelling.
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‘There’s a massive amount of pressure,’ Nolan said. ‘Anyone taking on The Odyssey is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere and that comes with a huge responsibility.’
Batman Taught Nolan What Fans Want
That’s where Batman comes in.
Nolan said adapting The Odyssey reminded him of working on the Batman films, where fans already had a deep connection to the character, the mythology, and what Batman should represent on screen.
‘What I learned from that experience is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation,’ Nolan said. ‘They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it. I really tried to make the best film possible.’
The Odyssey Is Nolan’s Next Epic
The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and features a packed cast that includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Himesh Patel, Robert Pattison, and others.
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The movie is set to open July 17, 2026.
