Christopher Nolan on Handling Backlash and The Odyssey

After months of chatter from certain corners of the internet, Christopher Nolan is just days away from bringing The Odyssey to theaters, but he doesn't seem to be too bothered by what he called the 'irrelevant' backlash.

The director's adaptation of Homer's epic poem has faced resistance from online camps led by conservative figureheads like podcaster Matt Walsh and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Most of the talking points in this regard have revolved around casting decisions, including Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra and Elliot Page as Sinon, while others have homed in on its armor designs and modern English dialogue.

Nolan, however, hasn't lost a wink of sleep. 'Comes with the territory,' he said with a smile when The Telegraph asked for his reaction. 'But look, these conversations that happen before people see the film – they’re always irrelevant, because no one having them knows what the film actually is yet.'

Nolan expected The Odyssey, specifically, to become a talking point online. Although which elements of the film he expected to catch fire online is unclear, it doesn't sound like he was ever too worried. He added, 'but remember, I spent 10 years of my life dealing with Batman,' referencing his work as director for The Dark Knight trilogy.

'When I came on to Batman Begins, writers and artists had been working on this beloved character for almost 65 years, and a lot of freighted thoughts were out there about what he represents,' Nolan continued. 'And what I learnt over my time on that trilogy is you can’t worry about any of that at all. What you have to do is honour the original text by interpreting it in the strongest way you personally can.'

The Odyssey will set sail in theaters on July 17, 2026, featuring a star-studded cast and a film crafted by Nolan to challenge 'cultural prejudices' about the ancient world, along with an enormous practical Cyclops.