Christopher Nolan’s range is unpredictable at best. From comic book superheroes to biopics, he has left nothing behind. Now with ‘The Odyssey’, Nolan has left his mark on Greek mythology as well.
But did you know this isn’t Christopher Nolan’s first rodeo with Homer? In fact, Nolan’s interest in a Homer adaptation goes back more than two decades. Before ‘The Odyssey’, Nolan was almost hired to create its prequel, which somehow ended up leading him to ‘Batman Begins’.
Christopher Nolan Always Wanted To Create The Trojan Horse
After ‘Memento’ and ‘Insomnia’, Christopher Nolan was officially in the Warner Bros’s inner circle. Back in 2004, the studio hired him to direct ‘Troy’, an epic historical movie based on Homer’s ‘Iliad’, which would take up the prequel story before ‘The Odyssey’.
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Nolan was particularly interested in taking up Greek mythology, “It was a world that I was very interested to explore. So, it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.”
However, the project slipped away when Wolfgang Petersen stepped in. You might know the German filmmaker from his Award-winning war film ‘Das Boot’ (1981) or fantasy blockbuster ‘The NeverEnding Story’ (1984).
Petersen originally developed the ‘Iliad’ adaptation. So, when his planned ‘Batman vs. Superman’ project wasn’t going forward, he hoped to return back to ‘Troy’. Warner Bros. agreed and gave the movie back to Petersen.
How ‘Troy’ Paved The Way For ‘Batman Begins’
‘Troy’ ended up starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Diane Kruger. It opened to mixed reviews in the summer of 2004 but still made over $497 million worldwide. Meanwhile, Nolan, who was seemingly left with nothing, also found his breakthrough.
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Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ can be traced back to ‘Troy’ itself. With Petersen returning to ‘Troy’, Warner Bros. offered Nolan ‘Batman Begins’ as a consolation prize. What initially seemed that way became the defining opportunity of his career, and the rest is history.
Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ arrived the next summer and became one of Warner Bros.’ most acclaimed and financially successful film trilogies.
Fortunately, Nolan also got to fulfil his Trojan horse dream two decades later with ‘The Odyssey’. In a strange twist of fate, ‘Troy’ somehow shaped the director’s career in the most unexpected way.
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