Christopher Nolan reveals he was originally set to direct ‘Troy’ before ‘The Odyssey’

Twenty years before adapting Homer’s The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan was hired to direct the 2004 Greek epic Troy, a project that has fuelled his interest in ancient legends ever since, according to a PTI report.

The lost Troy opportunity

“I was originally hired by Warner Bros to direct Troy,” Nolan revealed in an interview with Empire. “Wolfgang (Petersen) had developed it, and when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie (Batman vs Superman), he wanted it back.”

The Oscar-winning director said the world of Homer’s epics had captivated him for years, “At the end of the day, 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.”

From Troy to Gotham

After Warner Bros reclaimed Troy for Wolfgang Petersen, they offered Nolan Batman Begins as a “consolation prize”, a film that launched his landmark Dark Knight trilogy.

The eventual 2004 Troy, directed by Petersen, starred Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Rose Byrne, Saffron Burrows, and Orlando Bloom.

Road to The Odyssey

Following the success of his 2023 biographical epic Oppenheimer, Nolan is now bringing Homer’s The Odyssey to the screen. The film is scheduled for worldwide release on 17 July 2026 and boasts a star-studded ensemble including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal, among others.