Christopher Nolan stopped by ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘ and reframed the conversation around his new movie, ‘The Odyssey,’ arguing that modern comic book heroes owe a direct debt to the ancient world.
According to the Oscar-winning filmmaker, Homer didn’t just write a poem; he invented the “superhero” thousands of years before the first comic book hit the stands.
Christopher Nolan Calls Homeric Epics the Original Marvel and DC
Nolan told Colbert, “Even comic book culture, whether you’re talking about Marvel or DC or all the rest, a lot of it comes pretty directly from the Homeric Epics.” He then added, “They’re the original superheroes.”
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Nolan, who made the Dark Knight trilogy, is getting ready to release ‘The Odyssey‘ on July 17. It cost $250 million and was shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway as Penelope. But on the show, Nolan wanted to connect the monsters of ancient Greece to the villains of Gotham City.
He talked about how the old Greek oral stories were like the big movie franchises we see today. “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,” Nolan said. “The thing about Homer, it is the Marvel of its day. It’s very directly this desire for us to feel or believe that gods could walk amongst us, and I think the modern comic book is kind of our expression of that.”
Christopher Nolan Returns to Mythic Storytelling
It is an interesting moment for Nolan. He helped shape the modern superhero movie with ‘The Dark Knight’, but lately he has made historical films like ‘Oppenheimer‘. Still, he says the heart of the myth is the same. He pointed to Odysseus blinding the Cyclops, resisting the Sirens, and surviving Poseidon’s anger as the original blueprint for what we now call a cinematic universe.
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There is also some irony in his “original superheroes” comment, given that the cast is full of actors from Marvel and DC. Nolan especially praised Tom Holland, best known for playing Spider-Man. Holland plays Odysseus’s son Telemachus.
“He’s amazing. I’ve not worked with him before, but I would love to work with him again,” Nolan said. “I mean, he’s just an incredible talent. He’s so, so great.”
Why ‘The Odyssey’ is “The Ultimate Dog Story” for Christopher Nolan
Beyond the comic book talk, Nolan shared a softer reason for wanting to make ‘The Odyssey‘. He talked about Odysseus’s dog Argos, who waits twenty years for his master to come home. Nolan told Colbert it is now “the ultimate dog story.” He recently got a dog for the first time after his kids left for college, and that loyalty is what kept him hooked on the story.
Even with all the comparisons to big comic book movies, Nolan thinks people will come to ‘The Odyssey‘ with an open mind. “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 told the Associated Press. “What I learned from [The Dark Knight trilogy] is that what people want from a beloved story… is a strong and sincere interpretation.”
‘The Odyssey‘ comes out in theaters on July 17, 2026.
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