Ahead of principal photography for his highly anticipated adaptation of Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, acclaimed British director Christopher Nolan treated his cast and crew to a series of preparatory film screenings. This practice is a long-standing tradition for Nolan, who often uses classic cinema as a source of indirect inspiration for his own projects, seeking out specific 'textures' and visual language.
The three films chosen for these special viewings included Andrei Tarkovsky's 1966 historical drama Andrei Rublev, Akira Kurosawa's 1985 feudal epic Ran, and Martin Scorsese's controversial 1988 drama The Last Temptation of Christ. Nolan specifically praised Ran for its masterful use of 'landscape and wind', noting how elements like banners flapping in the wind resonated with the visual requirements for The Odyssey. He also highlighted The Last Temptation of Christ as offering 'a fresh and accessible window into history'.
Nolan revealed that the unprecedented success of his 2023 biographical thriller, Oppenheimer, played a crucial role in enabling him to realise his vision for The Odyssey on the grand scale he desired. The critical and commercial triumph of Oppenheimer provided the opportunity to undertake a project of such ambition, which stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Tom Holland as Telemachus.
Adding another groundbreaking element to his latest work, The Odyssey marks the first feature film ever to be shot entirely using IMAX film cameras. This technological feat was made possible through Nolan's collaboration with film presentation pioneer David Keighley, who helped develop lighter and quieter IMAX equipment. This innovation addressed a long-standing challenge, as the previous generation of IMAX cameras were too loud for dialogue-heavy scenes, a limitation Nolan had encountered during the production of The Dark Knight.
The film follows Odysseus's arduous decade-long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, battling mythical creatures, gods, and other adversaries, while his wife Penelope fends off persistent suitors and his son Telemachus embarks on a quest to find him. While a UK release date is yet to be confirmed, anticipation is building for Nolan's unique take on one of literature's most enduring sagas.