Universal dropped a new trailer, and Christopher Nolan says Marvel and DC owe a lot to Homer’s epic tales, with the director telling Stephen Colbert that today’s comic book culture connects directly to the ancient stories of gods, heroes, and men trying to survive forces bigger than themselves.
Appearing on The Late Show, Nolan discussed his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey and explained why the ancient Greek story still matters. Watch the new trailer below.
Homer’s epics are the foundation for superheroes
Colbert brought up how Nolan’s cast includes actors tied to major superhero roles: Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, and Robert Pattinson as Batman. That led Colbert to ask if superheroes are directly related to Greek heroes.
Nolan didn’t hesitate.
“Very directly,” Nolan said. “No, they are. I mean I mean they’re the original superheroes, and a lot of comic book culture whether you’re, talking about Marvel or DC or all the rest ,a lot of it comes pretty directly from the Homer’s epics.”
Nolan Compares Homer To Marvel, DC, and Star Wars
Nolan said Homer’s stories worked like the major pop culture mythologies of today.
He described Homer as “the Marvel of its day,” pointing to the way ancient audiences treated those stories as part of a larger shared mythology.
Nolan said modern comic books express the same idea: people want to believe that gods, heroes, and larger-than-life figures could walk among them.
“It’s the Marvel of its day,” he said. “I mean, that that’s the thing. And so I think there’s very directly this desire for us to feel or believe that gods could walk amongst us. And I think the modern comic book is is kind of our our expression of that.”
Later in the interview, Nolan compared the larger Trojan War mythology to Star Wars and Marvel.
“And that’s where I liken it to something like Star Wars or Marvel or something where you have this sort of history, this conflict that’s bigger than whatever individual take on the story you choose,” Nolan said.
What Nolan Says About The Odyssey
Nolan said he wanted to make The Odyssey because Greek mythology has not been done on this kind of large studio scale.
He mentioned growing up with movies like Clash of the Titans and the work of Ray Harryhausen, but said he saw a gap for a modern version that puts everything on the screen with a major budget.
Nolan called The Odyssey “one of the great adventure stories” and said he wanted to do it justice. He also said the film tries to place the audience inside a culture where people saw gods in everything, from thunder to tides to wind.
When Colbert asked if the gods appear in the movie, Nolan avoided a direct answer. He said the film includes the things people remember from The Odyssey, but he would not spoil how the movie handles the supernatural.
Release Info
The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17, 2026, from Universal Pictures.
The film adapts Homer’s ancient Greek epic and follows Odysseus after the Trojan War as he tries to return to Ithaca and reunite with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. Along the way, he faces mythological threats, while trouble builds at home with suitors trying to take his place.
Cast members include Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, plus Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, and Elliot Page.
Watch the new trailer:
