{"id":3924,"date":"2026-07-11T10:07:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924"},"modified":"2026-07-11T10:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T10:07:56","slug":"nolan-calls-odyssey-backlash-irrelevant-leans-on-batman-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924","title":{"rendered":"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

Director Christopher Nolan says he isn\u2019t losing sleep over months of online criticism aimed at his big-budget adaptation of Homer\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d arguing that pre-release commentary about the film\u2019s casting and design choices carries little weight before anyone has actually seen it.<\/p>\n

Read more HHS urges hospitals to take \u2018Make Hospital Food Healthier\u2019 pledge<\/a><\/p>\n

In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr. Nolan said the backlash \u201ccomes with the territory\u201d of adapting a classical text, arguing that criticism voiced before release rarely holds up: \u201cthese conversations that happen before people see the film \u2014 they\u2019re always irrelevant.\u201d He pointed to his decade directing the \u201cDark Knight\u201d trilogy as proof that outcry over a beloved property tends to fade once audiences see the finished film for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d a $250 million epic starring Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong\u2019o, opens in theaters July 17. Much of the criticism has centered on Ms. Nyong\u2019o\u2019s casting as Helen of Troy, along with transgender actor Elliot Page\u2019s role as the Greek soldier Sinon, who persuades the Trojans to bring the wooden horse inside their city walls. The character does not appear in Homer\u2019s poem at all; he comes from Virgil\u2019s \u201cAeneid\u201d and other post-Homeric traditions.<\/p>\n

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has been among the most vocal critics, writing on X in late January that \u201cChris Nolan has lost his integrity\u201d over Ms. Nyong\u2019o\u2019s casting, a post that predated confirmation of her role. Mr. Musk later amplified posts accusing the director of favoring diversity over faithfulness to the source material, and in May wrote that Mr. Nolan had \u201cdesecrated\u201d the poem to chase Academy Award eligibility.<\/p>\n

Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh also criticized the casting on X, writing that \u201cNolan is technically talented but a coward\u201d for choosing Ms. Nyong\u2019o over a white actress, a post Mr. Musk endorsed. Ms. Nyong\u2019o, who was born in Mexico and grew up in Kenya, has previously brushed off the criticism, telling reporters the story is mythological rather than historical.<\/p>\n

Mr. Nolan has also defended the film\u2019s armor design after some online commentators said the look of the character Agamemnon, played by Benny Safdie, resembled Batman\u2019s suit. Speaking with Time magazine, he pointed to real Bronze Age artifacts as inspiration: \u201cThere are Mycenaean daggers that are blackened bronze,\u201d he said, explaining the material choice was meant to signal Agamemnon\u2019s wealth relative to other characters.<\/p>\n

Read more Why losing weight isn\u2019t just about counting calories \u2014 and what to do about it<\/a><\/p>\n

Universal Pictures has taken note of the pre-release furor even as the studio touts strong advance interest in the film; many IMAX screenings reportedly sold out months before release. The studio restricted comments on the film\u2019s official X account after a wave of hostile posts, though Mr. Nolan indicated the reaction wouldn\u2019t change his approach to adapting classic material.<\/p>\n

Mr. Nolan drew a similar parallel to his Batman years in closing, telling The Telegraph that fans of a beloved property tend to embrace an adaptation once they sense the sincerity behind it, even when the choices made differ from what audiences expected going in.<\/p>\n

\n


\n This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and\/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
\n<\/em><\/p>\n


\n The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
\n <\/em><\/p>\n

Read more News outlets urge a judge to sanction OpenAI in a high-stakes AI copyright fight<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN on ‘Odyssey’ backlash: “These conversations that happen before people see the film, they’re always irrelevant.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,131],"tags":[2353,2355,2354],"class_list":["post-3924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-spotlight","tag-christopher-nolan","tag-lupita-nyongo","tag-the-odyssey"],"yoast_head":"\nNolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience - Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CHRISTOPHER NOLAN on 'Odyssey' backlash: "These conversations that happen before people see the film, they're always irrelevant."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Home Buyer Relocation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-11T10:07:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"headline\":\"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-11T10:07:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924\"},\"wordCount\":650,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Christopher Nolan\",\"Lupita Nyong'O\",\"The Odyssey\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Spotlight\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924\",\"name\":\"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience - Home Buyer Relocation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-11T10:07:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?p=3924#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Home Buyer Relocation\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homebuyerrelocation.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience - Home Buyer Relocation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience - Home Buyer Relocation","og_description":"CHRISTOPHER NOLAN on 'Odyssey' backlash: \"These conversations that happen before people see the film, they're always irrelevant.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924","og_site_name":"Home Buyer Relocation","article_published_time":"2026-07-11T10:07:56+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"headline":"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience","datePublished":"2026-07-11T10:07:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924"},"wordCount":650,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg","keywords":["Christopher Nolan","Lupita Nyong'O","The Odyssey"],"articleSection":["News","Spotlight"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924","name":"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience - Home Buyer Relocation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-11T10:07:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bd5a452ec2856c60bcb846b7e2d881d4.jpg","width":1200,"height":700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=3924#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nolan calls \u2018Odyssey\u2019 backlash irrelevant, leans on Batman experience"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/","name":"Home Buyer Relocation","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b2ac56955b020950324cad4c6c27b42a","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com"],"url":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}