Anticipation will only continue to grow for Christopher Nolan’sThe Odysseyuntil it is released in movie theaters next year. After the career-defining project for many ofOppenheimer, a roster of new andreturning Nolan actors is starring inThe Odyssey,which could easily become the most highly-regarded cinematic adaptation of Homer’s epic come 2026.The Odysseyis a narrative inherently concerned with the passage of time, as the main character Odysseus spends decades trying to return home to his family after the Trojan War.
Christopher Nolan’s best moviesare all genre-pushing epics of a massive scale; whileThe Odysseyrepresents something of a shift for him, away from gritty sci-fi or historical sagas into Greek mythology, his strengths as a director will surely still be on display.Nolan has previously directed movies that demonstrate the same themes asThe Odyssey,while also engaging in some interesting constructs of narrative progression.The Odyssey’s original text is non-linear, making it more intriguing to see how Nolan adapts this, given how he usually plays with time.
The Odyssey’s Non-Linear Story Fits With Nolan’s Time Obsession
Oppenheimer, Inception, Tenet, Interstellar, & Memento Are All Non-Linear Or Deal With Time
Musings on time are splattered across Nolan’s filmography,both with simple flashbacks and characters actually delving into (pseudo-)physics.Oppenheimerutilizes different timelines to show elements such as Oppenheimer’s security hearing or Strauss' senate confirmation hearing alongside the main narrative of the Manhattan Project, while several characters are accomplished physicists who think about time at a much higher level.Tenetis an intricate, fresh time-travel adventure;Inceptiondeals with time passing differently in dreams;Interstellarshows Cooper losing time with his family due to time dilation during his intergalactic mission.
The motif of the protagonist being separated from his family (Cobb and Cooper) contributes strongly to how Nolan unravels time, but he is doubtlessly very invested in how he can rearrange it to prompt the audience and the characters to think deeply about it. Of course, one of his earlier movies isMemento, a thriller about a man with short-term memory loss trying to solve his wife’s murder, which is essentially told in reverse.The Odysseymay now be framed as Odysseus telling the story after, having parallel storylines, and again featuring the idea of time dilation.
How Else Nolan Could Use Time In The Odyssey
There Are Several Important Time Jumps In The Odyssey
Fans onReddithave proposed a likely scenario whereNolan will craft a layered narrative that features both Odysseus trying to find a way home while his family protects the kingdom of Ithaca,and his son grows into a man. The whole thing could be framed as a flashback, but there may also be more flashbacks if Nolan chooses to show some elements of Odysseus leaving home and the Trojan War. However, there are some interesting points in the story that we may be tempted to summarize too succinctly, which actually take up years in the characters' lives, reflecting the tricky nature of time.
The Trojan War is essentially the prelude to this story, which Nolan probably won’t spend too much screen time on, but it lasts 10 years. Telemachus is a baby when Odysseus leaves, and is nearing 30 when he returns. On his voyage,Odysseus encounters the witch Circe and believes he spends only a few days with her, but it turns out to be years.He then spends another several years with Calypso. With several jumps like this that are characterized by Odysseus not realizing time is passing because of supernatural circumstances, Nolan has a lot to work with and will certainly create something impressive.
Nolan Could Be Making The Definitive Odyssey Adaptation
And The Non-Linear Narrative Would Be A Huge Part Of That
There is already some criticism pertaining to historical accuracy surroundingThe Odyssey, and it is going up against previous adaptations, while Nolan is likely to make some changes due to his tastes and to present a fresh story to a modern audience. However, this is still shaping up to be the biggest adaptation of this story we have ever seen and could become the defining one. With Nolan’s own history of time, non-linearity and time dilation could come to be a vital part of what we see asThe Odyssey, as it is in the original text.
