Christopher Nolan Says The Odyssey Backlash Is “Irrelevant” Before Release

Christopher Nolan says the online backlash to The Odyssey is expected and “comes with the territory.” According to Nolan, pre-release debates are meaningless because audiences haven’t actually seen the film. He said that no one criticizing the movie yet knows what it truly is.

The Odyssey has faced several controversies since the beginning of production, and the debate continues. Some of the backlash centered on the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, with critics pointing to Homer’s description of the character as “white-armed,” as well as the casting of Travis Scott as a bard. The film has also drawn criticism over alleged race-swapping, historical accuracy in its portrayal of Greek mythology, the use of modern American accents, and contemporary dialogue—such as the word “dad”—which some critics argue strays too far from the setting of Bronze Age Greece.

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Nolan dismissed criticism branding The Odyssey as “woke,” calling the backlash “irrelevant.” He encouraged audiences to judge The Odyssey after watching it, rather than criticizing it based on speculation or online discussions.

Nolan said the backlash “comes with the territory.” He added, “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.” Besides, he said he was aware from day one that The Odyssey was exactly the sort of project likely to stir up strong commentary—in both good faith and bad faith—about how it should be handled.

“But remember,” he went on, “I spent 10 years of my life dealing with Batman.”

“When I came on to Batman Begins, writers and artists had been working on this beloved character for almost 65 years, and there were already a lot of deeply held opinions about what he represents. What I learned over the course of that trilogy is that you can’t worry about any of that at all. What you have to do is honor the original text by interpreting it in the strongest way you personally can.”

Following its world premiere, The Odyssey has received blockbuster reviews, with critics calling it “a very faithful adaptation of Homer’s epic.” One critic said it is Nolan’s best-directed film and the culmination of his filmmaking style. The performances of Matt Damon, Samantha Morton, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Tom Holland, and Himesh Patel have received particular praise. The film has also been compared to Dunkirk, Inception, and The 13th Warrior.

The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Lupita Nyong’o as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Charlize Theron as Circe, along with Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, and Nick E. Tarabay.

Set in the 8th century BC, after the ten-year Trojan War, the Greek hero Odysseus travels from Troy to Ithaca via Africa and southern Europe. His journey lasts an additional ten years, during which he faces many dangers, and all of his crewmates are killed. In his absence, Odysseus is presumed dead, leaving his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, to deal with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope’s hand in marriage.

Produced by Nolan alongside his producing partner and wife, Emma Thomas, under their Syncopy banner.

The Odyssey will be released in theaters and IMAX in the United States on July 17, 2026, by Universal Pictures.