With Christopher Nolan adapting Homer’s The Odyssey into a big-budget, IMAX-filmed movie, it was probably a given that people would nitpick the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation. After all, the source material is one of the most studied and analyzed works in literature. Nolan himself is aware of the comments people have been sharing across social media. With that, while discussing his 2026 movie release, he made some points about his Dark Knight Trilogy, which I agree with.
In terms of backlash, the final trailer for The Odyssey received 600,000 dislikes on YouTube. Businessman Elon Musk and social media users have critiqued the film for a lack of Greek representation. They've also taken issue with Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o being cast as Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra, transgender actor Elliot Page playing Sinon and rapper Travis Scott portraying a bard. With the film set in Ancient Greece, there was also criticism towards its historical inaccuracies, such as the use of the Viking longship, modern dialect and the use of American accents.
