“The Odyssey” director Christopher Nolan joined Stephen Colbert on Monday night’s episode of “The Late Show.” During his interview, he discussed working with Tom Holland and watching Anne Hathaway in “The Devil Wears Prada 2”. He also likened Homer, the original author of “The Odyssey,” to the MCU.
While discussing “Spider-Man” star Holland, who plays Odysseus’ son Telemachus in “The Odyssey,” Nolan said he’s probably among the last filmmakers in Hollywood to fully realize his skills as an actor. But now that they’ve filmed together, Nolan said he would be more than happy to get Holland on another project.
“He’s amazing,” Nolan said. “I’ve not worked with him before, but I would love to work with him again. I mean, he’s just an incredible talent. He’s so, so great.”
Hathaway, who starred in “Interstellar” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” reunites with Nolan for “The Odyssey.” She plays Penelope, Odysseus’ wife and the queen of Ithaca. When asked if he had seen Hathaway’s latest film, “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” Nolan said, “I watched it last night. It was fabulous. Wth Emily Blunt as well. Terrific.”
Later in the interview, Colbert pointed out that Holland, Hathaway and their “Odyssey” co-star Robert Pattinson have all acted in major superhero blockbusters, which prompted Nolan to draw parallels between the ancient Greek epic and modern comicbook franchises.
“Even comic book culture, whether you’re talking about Marvel or D.C. or all the rest, a lot of it comes directly from the Homeric Epics,” Nolan said. “The thing about Homer is, nobody knows if that was a person. Homer, in a way, is the sort of George Lucas of his time.”
He later added, “The thing about Homer, it is the Marvel of its day. It’s very directly this desire for us to feel or believe gods could walk amongst us, and I think the modern comic book is kind of our expression of that.”
“The Odyssey” is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the 2026 summer season. The film’s cast list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood’s biggest and most bankable A-listers. Matt Damon leads as the Greek hero Odysseus. Outside of Holland, Hathaway and Pattinson, his co-stars include Zendaya, Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page and Benny Safdie.
Nolan’s last film, “Oppenheimer,” was released to similar levels of hype on July 21, 2023. The “Inception” filmmaker recently told the Associated Press that, although “The Odyssey” is still “an epic film,” its run time is clocking in below his biopic about the father of the atomic bomb, which ran for three hours. He also told AP that there is a “massive amount of pressure” in adapting such a well-known story like “The Odyssey,” but assured the outlet that he “really tried to make the best film possible.”
“Anyone taking on ‘The Odyssey’ is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere and that comes with a huge responsibility,” he said. “What I learned from [making ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy] is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation. They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it.”
variety.com
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