Christopher Nolan’s long-anticipated take on ‘The Odyssey‘ is shaping up to be far more than a straightforward retelling of Homer’s epic. As the first official trailer has finally been released, viewers are finally given a glimpse of the grandeur behind Nolan’s vision. Matt Damon takes over the screen as Odysseus, and Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland ground the story as Penelope and Telemachus.
However, one of the most interesting revelations comes in an almost cryptic way in the first moments of the trailer. In front of Odysseus is a giant warrior in ominous and dark armor. His face is concealed behind a heavy helmet, and his presence is instantly attention-grabbing. This is Agamemnon, the dreadful ruler of Mycenae and the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War. And behind that mask is a performer few would have guessed, but one who suits Nolan’s tastes very well.
Christopher Nolan Turns To Benny Safdie For One Of Greek Myth’s Most Tragic Roles
Agamemnon is portrayed by Benny Safdie, a name more often associated with anxious, kinetic filmmaking than ancient epics. Safdie, together with his brother Josh, has been building a reputation over the past decade as one of the most distinctive voices in modern cinema. His appearances in ‘Uncut Gems’ not only demonstrated Safdie as a director, but also demonstrated him as an actor who could exude volatility even in minor parts.
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‘The Odyssey‘ is a natural continuation of Safdie’s journey. His acting resume is marked with prominent roles like ‘Licorice Pizza’, ‘Are You There God? It is Me’, ‘Margaret’, and ‘Happy Gilmore 2’, in which he gave in to theatrical villainy. He directed his first film independently in 2025, ‘The Smashing Machine’, which features Dwayne Johnson as an MMA fighter. The movie demonstrated that Safdie remained committed to exploring the themes of obsession, masculinity, and the cost of greatness.
That thematic throughline makes his casting as Agamemnon particularly inspired. This is not a pure, heroic king in shining armor. Agamemnon is a king who has been molded by war and is destroyed by the very power that made him. Safdie’s natural intensity, his capacity to express inner disorder under a restrained surface, fits perfectly with that tragic burden.
Christopher Nolan, who is fond of returning to actors who make strong impressions, first collaborated with Safdie in ‘Oppenheimer’, where he portrayed physicist Edward Teller. Nolan was evidently impressed by that performance. In ‘The Odyssey’, Safdie is no longer locked up in boardrooms and laboratories. He is a legend, a man whose choices reverberate through generations. The decision is also an indication of the overall casting philosophy of Nolan in this film. Instead of just using classical gravitas, he is mixing prestige performers with surprising vitality.
Why Agamemnon Matters More Than Expected In Nolan’s Vision
Although Agamemnon does not take up a lot of space in the trailer, he is not a mere bystander. ‘The Odyssey’ is traditionally set after the Trojan War, and the main character is Odysseus, who is making a long and painful trip back home. However, the trailer strongly suggests a disjointed narrative structure, one that incorporates flashbacks to the war itself, with the notorious Trojan Horse. In case Nolan incorporates some of the themes of The Iliad into the narrative, Agamemnon will be the focus.
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Being the leader of the Greek army, he is the political and moral support of the war effort, a leader whose ambition and arrogance frequently come into conflict with the warriors he leads. His complex association with heroes like Achilles and Odysseus brings in a lot of tension that goes way beyond the battlefield. The story of Agamemnon has a colossal thematic burden even in ‘The Odyssey’ itself. His post-war homecoming is in sharp contrast to that of Odysseus.
Where Odysseus manages to survive by his wit, flexibility, and moderation, Agamemnon is a victim of his own arrogance and naivety. His ultimate demise is a caution and a reflection. It’s a view into what might happen to Odysseus should he forget what is really important. Such a parallel is precisely the type of narrative symmetry that Nolan lives off of. How much of Agamemnon’s story Nolan chooses to depict remains an open question.
