Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
is a hotly anticipated work in progress, which may see Tom Holland playing Zendaya in a wild twist of fate. Christopher Nolan is one of the most critically acclaimed and closely followed directors of the modern era. With works in sci-fi, mystery, historical drama, and more, Nolan has proven his gift for storytelling through direction in numerous mediums. And now, Nolan has set his sights on one of the oldest stories in recorded history as his next big project, Homer’s Odyssey.
Despite the film still being in the early stages of development, with the movie set to release in July 2026, there have been numerous casting announcements as an impressive list of A-listers have been attached to the project. Among them is Hollywood’s brightest young “it” couple, Tom Holland and Zendaya. With both characters set to have a role in the film, there are only so many parts that could fit with their age, which suggests the pair may be playing a role that has a unique interaction in the epic poem.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey May Have Cast Tom Holland As Telemachus & Zendaya As Athena
The Duo Could Be Pairing Up In Nolan’s Latest Project
With Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway having been announced early on as two key characters in the film, it makes sense that Damon may be playing the hero, Odysseus, and Hathaway appearing as Penelope, his wife. Both actors are a similar age, and the role of the battleworn hero suits Damon, while the beautiful and desirable queen is a good fit for Hathaway. Meanwhile, two other pivotal Odyssey characters stand out as being good fits for Holland and Zendaya.
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Who is Jon Bernthal playing in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?
As much as I love Jon Bernthal and think he’s a phenomenal actor, I have a hard time seeing him as an Ancient Greek character, so I’m curious if Nolan’s Odyssey will be a modern retelling. That being said, if it’s a supporting role, it might be interesting to see Bernthal as a god, like Poseidon, or perhaps as a man on Odysseus’ crew.
Holland could well be playing the role of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, while Zendaya plays the goddess Athena, who is on a mission to protect Odysseus after he wins the Trojan War. Telemachus is a 20-year-old who is admittedly slightly younger than Holland, but still fit to have him playing a son of Matt Damon. And Athena is a literal goddess, which again, feels fitting for someone like Zendaya, whose reputation in Hollywood continues to rapidly accelerate her to the top of the A-list.
One Part Of The Odyssey Involves Athena Pretending To Be Telemachus
Athena Has The Power To Shapeshift In Odyssey
If these castings are correct, it does lead to an interesting scene that may be adapted in the film, though considering the extensive and vast source material, Nolan will certainly cut some moments from the story in order to make the movie flow better. However, an early scene that sets things in motion sees Athena manipulate several individuals around Ithaca in order to begin searching for Odysseus. Firstly, Athena appears in disguise as a chieftain to Telemachus, encouraging him to search for his father. Then, that very night, she appears as Telemachus to sailors on the docks in an effort to recruit a team to help search for Odysseus.
The importance of the scene would make it a strong contender to appear in the film, and if Holland and Zendaya are playing these parts, it would mean Holland is required to pretend to be Athena, being Telemachus. Obviously, this could just appear as Holland playing his character, but to give this moment real charm and gravity, the subtle difference between Holland playing Telemachus, and Holland playing Athena disguised as Telemachus is important. It would also give Holland a key moment to show off his skill in a film that is essentially guaranteed to attract Academy Award nominations.
Christopher Nolan Is No Stranger To Meta Moments In His Movies
While Christopher Nolan’s movies are placed on a pedestal, that does not mean the director is afraid of being creative, bold, and pushing boundaries. This scene could be viewed as meta and quirky, but that is a defining characteristic of some of Nolan’s best work, as seen in Memento, The Prestige, and Tenet. And putting his actors into challenging positions, proving their talents and breaking type casts is another key characteristic of Nolan’s work, as seen in Oppenheimer in the way that Nolan was able to coax an Oscar winning performance out of Robert Downey Jr.
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Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie Is Continuing An Oppenheimer Trend But With A Genius Twist
Christopher Nolan’s next movie, an adaptation of the Greek epic poem The Odyssey, continues a moviemaking trend that began with Oppenheimer.
Beyond that, if Nolan was afraid of getting too meta or wacky, the Odyssey was the wrong story for him to adapt. The epic poem was written in the 8th century BC, and it depicts a story where the gods of Olympus and ordinary humans are brought into contact. Transforming into humans is only one display of power from the gods, like Athena, and there is plenty more that could unfold in the course of Odysseus’ long trek home. The result is likely to be an epic film of equal proportions, which will bend reality and unpack one of the most enduring stories ever recorded for Christopher Nolan fans to enjoy in The Odyssey.
