Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has responded to growing online criticism surrounding The Odyssey, defending both the film’s stylised armour design and the controversial casting of rapper Travis Scott in his ambitious adaptation of Homer’s epic.
Speaking to Time magazine ahead of the film’s July 17 release, Nolan addressed complaints from viewers who argued that the warriors’ dark metallic armour looked closer to Batman costumes than historically accurate ancient Greek attire. The director explained that the production had extensively researched Mycenaean-era materials while designing the costumes.
“There are Mycenaean daggers that are blackened bronze,” Nolan said, noting that the creative team explored historical theories around ancient metalworking techniques. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, he added, used rare-looking materials for Agamemnon’s armor to visually establish the king’s elevated status among the Greek rulers.
Nolan compared the challenge of reconstructing the ancient world to the speculative science behind Interstellar. “For ‘Interstellar,’ you’re looking at, ‘What is the best speculation of the future?’ When you’re looking at the ancient past, it’s actually the same thing,” he said. “‘What is the best speculation and how can I use that to create a world?’”
The filmmaker also defended Scott’s appearance in the film after fans reacted with confusion to the rapper’s role in the teaser trailer. Scott appears as a bard narrating moments from the Trojan War, a choice Nolan said was intentional.
“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Nolan explained.
The casting sparked debate online shortly after the trailer’s release, though some fans pointed out that Nolan previously collaborated with Scott on Tenet, for which the rapper recorded the track The Plan.
Shot entirely using 70mm IMAX cameras, The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o.