Christopher Nolan is standing by one of the most debated choices in The Odyssey, letting ancient Greek characters speak in contemporary English.
Variety reported that Nolan defended the film’s modern dialogue and accent choices after some viewers criticized the trailer for sounding too contemporary.
The Hollywood Reporter also framed the reaction around the film’s use of modern phrasing in a story drawn from Homer’s ancient epic.
Nolan Said Modern English Was a “No-Brainer”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nolan said he wanted language with “emotional not intellectual meaning to people.” That led him away from artificially elevated speech and toward colloquial, contemporary dialogue.
“I was maybe being naive, it might bite me on the ass, but I wanted an earthy narrative,” Nolan said. “To me it was a no-brainer.”
The Independent reported in May that viewers objected to the actors’ accents and modern phrasing after a trailer showed more of Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland.
Some of the backlash focused on Robert Pattinson’s Antinous using the word “daddy” while confronting Tom Holland’s Telemachus. Other viewers complained that American accents and contemporary lines felt out of place in a story associated with ancient Greece.
He Also Defended the Film’s Big Casting Choices
Nolan has also responded to criticism of the movie’s large ensemble and modern star power.
In the Los Angeles Times interview, Nolan said the characters are mythological and iconic, which is why he wanted to “cast it big” with familiar actors.
The film’s cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Jon Bernthal as Menelaus.
Nolan Compared the Backlash to His Batman Years
Nolan has faced pre-release skepticism before. In a separate interview, he said the experience of making the Dark Knight trilogy taught him not to worry too much about online backlash before audiences have seen the finished movie.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Nolan called pre-release conversations “always irrelevant,” because the people having them do not yet know what the film actually is. He said his job is to honor the original text by interpreting it in the strongest personal way he can.
Universal’s official site says The Odyssey opens in theaters July 17, 2026, and was shot entirely with IMAX film cameras.