Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Has A Wild 22-Year-Old Parallel

Published Jul 25, 2026, 8:10 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Warning! This movie contains SPOILERS for The Odyssey (2026) Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a fascinating reinterpretation of Homer's ancient epic, including a surprising parallel to a movie released 22 years ago. Starring Matt Damon as the Greek legend Odysseus, the hero of Troy is reframed as a man struggling to reconcile his own guilt and trauma of war during his long journey home to Ithaca. Interestingly, Nolan's new movie features a strong tie to an earlier depiction of the famed Battle of Troy (going far beyond the famed wooden horse). Although the legendary The Trojan Horse secured victory for the Greeks, it also represents one of the earliest and most well known examples of warfare deception. This is something Nolan's Odyssey leans into far more than Homer's 3,000-year-old poem. Likewise, the encounters between mortals like Odysseus and the god are far less direct, resulting in a very cool connection to 2004's Troy directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Before Petersen ultimately helmed Troy in 2004, Christopher Nolan himself was briefly attached to the project before the project went back to Petersen. 22 years later and regardless of the intention, Nolan's The Odyssey does ends with a very similar act of divine defiance as seen in an early sequence featured in Troy, starring Brad Pitt as Achilles. ​​​​​ The Odyssey's Ending Features The Death & Defiance Of Athena One of Christopher Nolan's biggest reinterpretations of Homer's original epic is found in Athena. Rather than constantly appearing physically as a traditional goddess or in disguise guiding Telemachus, Zendaya's goddess of wisdom is repeatedly shown appearing before Odysseus at various points on his journey home, only for the ending to reveal that it's a far more tragic depiction than audiences are led to believe. The Ultimate · Movie Quote Challenge GUESS THE MOVIE FROM THE QUOTE “I’m your huckleberry.” 🎬1930s 🎞1940s 📽1960s 📻1970s 🎥1990s 🎦2000s ROLL THE FILM → 01 Which movie features this iconic line?“Here’s looking at you, kid.” ACasablanca (1942) BThe Big Sleep (1946) CThe Maltese Falcon (1941) DKey Largo (1948) ETo Have and Have Not (1944) ✓ Correct! Bogart’s unforgettable farewell to Ingrid Bergman’s Ilsa in Casablanca. ✗ Not quite — it’s Casablanca (1942). All five options star Bogart, but only one has this line. NEXT → 02 Which movie features this iconic line?“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” AThe Shawshank Redemption (1994) BOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) CPapillon (1973) DCool Hand Luke (1967) EEscape from Alcatraz (1979) ✓ Correct! The Captain’s chilling declaration in Cool Hand Luke. ✗ Not quite — it’s Cool Hand Luke (1967), spoken by the prison Captain played by Strother Martin. NEXT → 03 Which movie features this iconic line?“I’m your huckleberry.” AUnforgiven (1992) BWyatt Earp (1994) CTombstone (1993) DYoung Guns (1988) EThe Quick and the Dead (1995) ✓ Correct! Val Kilmer’s legendary drawl as Doc Holliday in Tombstone. ✗ Not quite — it’s Tombstone (1993), spoken by Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Don’t confuse it with the rival Wyatt Earp film. NEXT → 04 Which movie features this iconic line?“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” AThe Long Goodbye (1973) BChinatown (1974) CL.A. Confidential (1997) DThe Big Lebowski (1998) EMulholland Drive (2001) ✓ Correct! The devastating final line of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown. ✗ Not quite — it’s Chinatown (1974), the film’s unforgettable closing words spoken by Lawrence Walsh. NEXT → 05 Which movie features this iconic line?“I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!” ANo Country for Old Men (2007) BThere Will Be Blood (2007) CThe Master (2012) DGangs of New York (2002) EPhantom Thread (2017) ✓ Correct! Daniel Day-Lewis’s explosive monologue as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. ✗ Not quite — it’s There Will Be Blood (2007). Three of these options are Paul Thomas Anderson films, but only one has this line. NEXT → 06 Which movie features this iconic line?“After all, tomorrow is another day.” AWuthering Heights (1939) BRebecca (1940) CGone with the Wind (1939) DThe Philadelphia Story (1940) EMrs. Miniver (1942) ✓ Correct! Scarlett O’Hara’s defiant closing words in Gone with the Wind. ✗ Not quite — it’s Gone with the Wind (1939), Scarlett O’Hara’s final line in the film. NEXT → 07 Which movie features this iconic line?“You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me?” AMean Streets (1973) BRaging Bull (1980) CThe Deer Hunter (1978) DTaxi Driver (1976) ESerpico (1973) ✓ Correct! Robert De Niro’s iconic mirror scene as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. ✗ Not quite — it’s Taxi Driver (1976). Every option here stars De Niro, but this mirror scene is his alone. NEXT → 08 Which movie features this iconic line?“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” AThe Godfather (1972) BThe Godfather Part II (1974) CGoodfellas (1990) DCasino (1995) EScarface (1983) ✓ Correct! Peter Clemenza’s casually chilling order after a hit in The Godfather. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Godfather (1972), spoken by Clemenza. Not Part II — the original. REVEAL MY SCORE → The Credits Roll YOUR FINAL SCORE 🎬 / 8 How well do you know your cinema classics? ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ In truth, Zendaya plays a Trojan priestess who was executed during the chaos and sacking of Troy following the Greeks' infiltration using Odysseus' Trojan Horse. Beheaded right in front of the Greek hero, Odysseus is overcome with guilt and the ramifications of what he's done, right as a large statue of Athena herself is also beheaded by the Greeks. Due to his shame for massively breaking Zeus' Law and the fragile bonds of early civilization, Athena presents herself through the form of this priestess within Odysseus' own psyche, reminding him of his guilt while also guiding him to both redeem and reclaim his identity. Remarkably, a very similar sequence can be found in the opening scenes of 2004's Troy. Troy's Beginning Features The Death & Defiance Of Apollo The Odyssey's ending remarkably mirrors one of the opening scenes from 2004's Troy. Shortly after arriving at the beaches of Troy, Brad Pitt's Achilles raids a Trojan temple dedicated to Apollo with his warriors known as the Myrmidons, ordering his men to take all the treasure they can carry. Ignoring warnings about defying the gods, Achilles decapitates Apollo's statue at the steps of the temple, daring the gods to strike him down. Like Nolan's The Odyssey, the gods play much less of a direct role in 2004's Troy than they do in Homer's The Illiad, their primary role being the perceived influence of those who believe (or don't). Likewise, both films arguably draw some key comparisons between victory in war and acts of great divine sacrilege. That said, the difference is that Achilles embraces his defiance largely without regret, while Odysseus eventually spends years haunted by his own. Considering Nolan's own history with Troy and the fact that he was very close to directing the Greek epic himself over two decades ago, one has to wonder if the beheading of Athena's statue in The Odyssey was an intentional callback to Apollo's beheading in Troy. It's certainly a remarkable coincidence, creating a strong thematic through line between these major cinematic adaptations of Homer's dual ancient epics. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is now playing in theaters. The Odyssey 10/10 Release Date July 15, 2026 Runtime 173 minutes Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a 2026 adaptation of Homer's epic poem, chronicling Odysseus's treacherous journey home from the Trojan War. Troy Release Date May 14, 2004 Runtime 163 Minutes