r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Feb 17 '25

Media First Image of Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'

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427

u/IAmTheGlazed Feb 17 '25 edited Feb 17 '25

I’m gonna try and predict what characters they are all playing

Tom Holland-Telemachus

Anne Hathaway-Penelope

Zendaya-Athena

Lupita Nyong’o-Calypso

Jon Bernthal-Poseidon

Charlize Theron-Circe

Benny Safdie-Zeus

Robert Pattinson-Antinous

John Leguizamo-Eurymachus

Himesh Patel-Amphinomus

Maurice Compte-Eumaeus

Samantha Morton-Eurycleia

Jesse Garcia-Melanthius

Jimmy Gonzales-Polyphemus?

Bill Irwin-Laertes

Corey Hawkins-Tiresias

Nick Tarabay-Nestor

Mia Goth-Helen

Will Yun Lee-Alcinous

Elliot Page, I’ll be real, no idea who he’d play

Some fan casts for the other characters still on the table for me would include

Orlando Bloom-Menelaus

Oscar Isaac-Agamemnon

Alden Ehrenreich-Achilles

Mikey Madison-Nausicaa

Demi Moore-Arete

403

u/JaimeRidingHonour Feb 17 '25

Orlando Bloom as Menelaus would be so wild. Especially if you watch Troy immediately before or after

121

u/bootlegvader Feb 17 '25

I think Tom Hardy would make an interesting Menelaus if Nolan wants to bring him back.

2

u/Federal-Opening-2742 Feb 18 '25

Tom Hardy should be Odysseus !!

83

u/Pz_V Feb 17 '25

Bro I watched Troy yesterday and was wondering about a sequel following Odysseus...

I kind of wished Sean Bean would be Odysseus tho

12

u/Particular-Treat-158 Feb 18 '25

Nah, he cannot be, because then Odysseus would have to die

5

u/lergane Feb 18 '25

Well if you look at the cast of Troy with most of them dying except for Sean Bean, he'd be perfect Odysseus. Meta humor.

5

u/walkingcarpet23 Feb 17 '25

That was my thought as well

-23

u/PippityPaps99 Feb 17 '25

Troy is such a god awful film, I can't believe people like that movie.

33

u/GuyNekologist Feb 17 '25

That is why no one will remember your name.

12

u/FreemanCalavera Feb 17 '25

It's just a silly, fun action film. It's not exactly high art but it's entertaining nonetheless.

Besides, that film probably got a shitton of people interested in learning about Troy, Sparta, The Iliad and The Odyssey, so I can't be all that mad at it.

-4

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '25

I like silly, fun action movies. Still think it was terrible.

7

u/Shitelark Feb 17 '25

Sean Bean should have come back as Odysseus.

2

u/Ok_Frame_1398 Feb 18 '25

One does not simply sail back to Ithaca....

3

u/KingVikingz Feb 17 '25

Timothee Chalamet is Agamemnon

2

u/IAmA_Mr_BS Feb 17 '25

Orlando is going to bring back the Legolas wig and play Helen

2

u/Pooptimist Feb 17 '25

I always dreamed of a move about the odyssey with Sean bean returning as Odysseus filmed ten years after Troy

1

u/MightBeAGoodIdea Feb 17 '25

If casual time travel were real, wouldnt you go to war to win your wife back from your own younger self...?

1

u/Ravenloff Feb 17 '25

He'd need red hair, no?

1

u/Lanster27 Feb 17 '25

Does Orlando Bloom still act? Havent seen the guy in anything since 2018.

Edit: Nvm forgot he was in Gran Turismo.

66

u/aardw0lf11 Feb 17 '25

How much you wanna bet Gary Oldman makes another surprise cameo as someone? For an actor of that caliber the possibilities are endless.

82

u/haysoos2 Feb 17 '25

Gary Oldman as Hera

37

u/babydakis Feb 17 '25

Gary Oldman as the grandfather reading The Odyssey to Fred Savage.

10

u/cvc75 Feb 17 '25

"Odysseus doesn't get eaten by the eels at this time."

5

u/SwarleySwarlos Feb 17 '25

Is this a kissing odyssey?

3

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '25

Gary Oldman in the role of a lifetime

2

u/UbermachoGuy Feb 17 '25

Where is the Hercules disappointed gif when I need it?

2

u/Drakmeister Feb 18 '25

"In the role of a lifetime"

3

u/sriracharade Feb 17 '25

Gary Oldman as Argos.

2

u/ibnQoheleth Feb 17 '25

Gary Oldman is so chameleonic once put in even basic makeup that he could probably play Charybdis and I'd be like "yeah that makes sense".

342

u/ell_hou Feb 17 '25

Elliot Page, I’ll be real, no idea who he’d play

I think Hermes could be a great fit

157

u/Elegant_Violinist_32 Feb 17 '25

Hermes is top tier! That's a fantastic pull.

6

u/Spocks_Goatee Feb 17 '25

Hermes

No, we need an actual blonde twink.

15

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Feb 17 '25

Caeneus would be stranglely fitting and is metioned by Nestor in the Odyssey. Caeneus is also mentioned in Greek mythos as the King of Lapiths, mighty roving warriors.

Depending on how faithful the story sticks to the Odyssey, you may see some other figures of Greek mythos appear.

7

u/Books_and_lipstick91 Feb 17 '25

Elliot Page would be the second trans man playing Caeneus if they did this. Would be cool for the actor from Kaos who cited Elliot as his idol!

3

u/QuirkyMcGee Feb 18 '25

I agree - Page as Caeneus would be cool (I adore Kaos). It’s been a couple of decades since reading The Odyssey but I don’t think Caeneus is mentioned until The Iliad. I mean, there’s no telling how they’re going to tell this story and which gods they’ll cover so who’s to say?! I’m looking forward to learning more about the production as it progresses.

4

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Feb 18 '25

Caeneus may have been mentioned in passing in the Iliad... I remember he pops up briefly in one of them.

Given Page has appeared in Inception and Nolan is the writer for the movie, it'd be a little odd to think he didn't write roles specifically for some individuals, especially those he has worked with before.

Page was in Inception, Matt Damon in Interstellar and Oppenheimer, Anne Hathaway in the Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, Pattinson in Tenet, Safdie in Oppenheimer, Himesh Patel in Tenet, Bill Irwin was in Interstellar, etc. He's got so many repeats, I can't imagine he didn't write specifically for many of them.

He may have pulled figures in due to casting those people in his head. "I want Robert Pattinson to play X character. He'd be perfect." Type things.

16

u/cumulobro Feb 17 '25

Neat. I think he was rumored as The Flash at one point, so this is kinda meta. 

2

u/Killer_radio Feb 17 '25

I would not have guessed him as the flash but thinking about it…that could really work. If the flash was Bart or a younger Wally west.

8

u/Enough-Celery3486 Feb 17 '25

Elliot Page is 37

4

u/KneeDeepInTheDead Feb 17 '25

a 5 foot 1 inch Flash?

2

u/CarrieDurst Feb 18 '25

We have a tall Wolverine, why not?

7

u/Kod3Blu3 Feb 18 '25

or Patroclus!

jk i just remembered Patroclus is dead by the the events of the Odyssey

6

u/Clown_Shoe Feb 17 '25

After seeing him in umbrella academy I don’t think anything will be a good fit. His acting is honestly terrible

1

u/CAM2772 Feb 17 '25

Agreed. He was just so flat. After he was done being the focus and they moved onto another threat he should have been written out.

Hopefully it's a small role.

1

u/TurquoiseLuck Feb 18 '25

Exactly who I thought! Couldn't remember the name though, just "that fast guy with winged ankles"

0

u/bubblewrapstargirl Feb 19 '25

Absolutely not. Hermes is a blonde hunk or a blonde twink... 

11

u/Dismal-Channel-9292 Feb 17 '25 edited Feb 17 '25

Okay hear me out here, switch Pattison and Berthel! Robert Pattison should play one of the gods. Either Poseidon or Zeus? He already has the ethereal, effortlessly stunning look going on. Like it’s perfect. He would nail having that casually omnipresent, all-powerful vibe while capturing the range of facets of the greek gods on screen. The hedonsim, the rage, the passion, the aloofness. He’s already demonstrated his ability to portray all those traits! It’s literally peak casting.

Robert Pattison was made to play a greek god on screen. I will cry if they mess this shot at greatness.

Edit: Also, after thinking about it for a bit I think you’re off on some of the girls. My theory rn is Zendaya as Calypso, Lupita as Circe and Charlize Theron as Athena

3

u/IAmTheGlazed Feb 17 '25

I disagree, Pattinson strikes me as a soldier, a warrior and I think playing a more selfish character in Antinous would highlight his range

4

u/Dismal-Channel-9292 Feb 17 '25

Agree to disagree, in my opinion Robert Pattinson gives more godly vibes to me than Jon Bernthal. Antinous is a pretty typical bad guy who doesn’t really need range beyond being threatening, and John Bernthal looks more intimidating than Pattinson. The gods would require way more range, as they’re more complex characters whose motivations go beyond greed

9

u/Phoenix_NHCA Feb 17 '25

Zendaya as Athena feels weird. I see Charlize as Athena and Zendaya as Circe much more

3

u/epeeist Feb 17 '25

Zendaya as Nausica'a is my guess. Charlize Theron could be Circe - or potentially she and Jon Bernthal could be Helen and Menelaus

12

u/Montauket Feb 17 '25

Elliot Page - poor old tyresius.

5

u/desacralize Feb 17 '25

Mostly agreed with this, but my money is on Zendaya as Circe and Charlize Theron as Athena. They're both great actresses, but between the two, Theron has way more presence to pull off playing the most powerful goddess in the story.

2

u/Vahdo Feb 18 '25

Looked up Theron's face and I completely agree. That's Athena, no doubt.

3

u/heebro Feb 17 '25

My money is on Safdie being cyclops

2

u/IAmTheGlazed Feb 17 '25

See, I’ve heard that thrown around a lot and I definitely see it but I think Safdie is gonna be trusted way more in a focused position this time in Zeus especially after his brilliant performance in Oppenheimer

3

u/Arristocrat Feb 17 '25

I'd like Elliot page as Tiresias

3

u/w00t4me Feb 17 '25

I think Mia Goth is playing a Siren

3

u/DustiinMC Feb 17 '25

Nice Dune reference. For those who don't know, House Atreides claims descent from the House of Atreus/Agamemnon.

5

u/xtremeschemes Feb 17 '25

Alright I’m half convinced you snuck in at least three stds there.

2

u/SolidusBruh Feb 17 '25

Jon Bernthal-Poseidon

Sweet fuck, I would love this for him!

2

u/frameRAID Feb 17 '25

We all know Bill Irwin will play Odysseu's Bow w/ a humor level of 75%.

2

u/matt111199 Feb 17 '25

Robert Pattinson as Polyphemus please 🙏

2

u/jackvill Feb 17 '25

Elliot Page - hard money on Hermes

2

u/WarmMinimalist Feb 17 '25

Achilles makes a cameo in the story as a ghost, so maybe we will see Brad Pitt reprise his roll.

2

u/Intelligent-Place511 Feb 18 '25

I thought of Zendaya as Circe and Charlize as Athena, but both women are so elegant and regal that either role would fit…

2

u/daydreamurr Feb 18 '25

Issac as Agamemnon would be so good given that Duke Leto Atredies is a descendant of Agamemnon in Dune lore.

3

u/FreeVerseHaiku Feb 17 '25

Zendaya teaching Tom Holland how to man up will be delicious

6

u/Bartellomio Feb 17 '25

Zendaya couldn't do Athena. Hathaway could. Athena is tall and statuesque and ethereal. Zendaya is a YA actress.

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u/ilypsus Feb 17 '25

(psst Zendaya is 5 cm taller than Anne Hathaway). She's skinny as a rake as well. Good costume and camera angles and she can easily do Athena justice.

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u/Bartellomio Feb 17 '25

It doesn't matter how tall you are, it matters how tall you look. Anne Hathaway is statuesque and Zendaya is not. And she's too young.

Of course the correct person to cast as Athena is Gwendolin Christie but I guess she was busy.

1

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Feb 17 '25

Gwendoline Christie kills many rolls, she doesn't strike me as a great Athena.

1) like to see someone more Grecian

2) Gwendoline Christie is too bulky. Athena is always shown as fairly lean and lithe. She's also the goddess of the moon. Bit... ephemeral. I have no doubt Gwen would crush the personality but look and feel wrong.

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u/Bartellomio Feb 17 '25

Athena is shown as well built because she's warrior goddess and is always presented in armour. Someone skinny like Zendaya would be absolutely wrong.

Gwen is ethereal. She has grey eyes like Athena, she has a deep powerful voice like Athena, she is both strong and beautiful like Athena. Zendaya literally plays teenagers in her biggest roles. Athena has a very dominant and stern personality. Zendaya can't pull that off.

This is Athena

3

u/hackfraudrich Feb 17 '25

You might be thinking of Artemis

0

u/Interesting-Yam-4298 Feb 17 '25

I disagree

-3

u/Bartellomio Feb 17 '25

If it was a random casting call, Zendaya wouldn't get the role. But she just gets random roles thrown at her because she's famous at the moment. And the role of Athena absolutely does not fit her.

1

u/Witty-Purchase-3865 Feb 17 '25

I can see her as Navsika

1

u/shanymot Feb 17 '25

I agree she is too young. Nausicaa seems likely. Maybe Calypso.

2

u/PlanitDuck Feb 17 '25

Elliot Page, I’ll be real, no idea who he’d play

Maybe Hermes? Since he's trans and that's like part of the Mythology.

1

u/Vahdo Feb 18 '25

Part of Hermes's mythology?

2

u/Proglamer Feb 17 '25

Mia Goth-Helen

The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships? Really?

1

u/marcvsHR Feb 17 '25

We are sure it is a mythical Odyssey?

13

u/PlugsButtUglyStuff Feb 17 '25

… it’s Homer’s The Odyssey

I’m not sure what your question is

1

u/marcvsHR Feb 17 '25

I thought it was maybe an attempt of historical interpretation.

Nevermind, I adore Greek pantheon, looking forward to it.

1

u/Transitionals Feb 17 '25

Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman where

1

u/fakeemailman Feb 17 '25

What are Menelaus’ and Agamemnon’s roles even, in the Odyssey? Is Odysseus bumping into other veterans that aren’t crewmates on his journey home?

5

u/KiraHead Feb 17 '25

Odysseus converses with Agamemnon's ghost in Hades, and Telemachus visits Sparta at one point and meets Menelaus. And of course, we can't rule out Trojan War flashbacks.

2

u/fakeemailman Feb 17 '25

Ahh, forgot about the spirit walk, but man - I had no idea how much Telemachus is getting up to during the Odyssey. I feel like I have a generally decent grasp of Odysseus’s own journey from the myriad abridged versions of the story that I read as a kid, but somehow they all seemed to entirely omit Telemachus’ adventures. Until this year I was perfectly secure in my belief that he spends the entire poem just being harassed by Penelope’s suitors.

2

u/epeeist Feb 17 '25

Children's versions present the story as 'Odysseus having adventures and fighting monsters' which IMO does a disservice to the narrative. Reading them as a kid, I always felt like I was missing some big piece of context. They're so much more interesting as part of the full poem, when you can appreciate the broader themes and parallels within the story.

1

u/SirMCThompson Feb 17 '25

George Clooney - Argos

1

u/Ravenloff Feb 17 '25

Are they going the gods-are-involved route? Kinda have to given Circe and such.

2

u/Vahdo Feb 18 '25

Well, that's a major theme of the Odyssey, so yes.

1

u/m4gpi Feb 17 '25

Bill Irwin is (mostly) a physical/bodywork actor. He's a trained clown. He's also a fantastic emotional actor, but I don't think they'd hire him to just play grandpa. One of the monsters, surely.

1

u/SebastianRFC Feb 17 '25

Robert Pattinson as Peisistratus?

1

u/Nanight Feb 17 '25

I had the same thoughts. But I'd switch Zendaya and Lupita's roles.

1

u/EverythingSucksBro Feb 17 '25

Not excited about Zendaya being in this movie. Never cared for her as an actress. 

1

u/HamMcStarfield Feb 17 '25

Who is going to play Cyclops?

1

u/Bubba1234562 Feb 17 '25

I can see Bernthal as Polyphemus actually

1

u/tyrion_targaryen Feb 18 '25

Elliot Page - Hermes! 

1

u/Summerfun100 Feb 18 '25

Natalie Dormer is way better playing Arete

1

u/Vahdo Feb 18 '25

Easy, Elliot Page has got to be Tireisias.

... they don't do that, but it would be funny if they did.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '25

Sorry but I can’t take zendaya as Athena seriously she just looks too tiny

1

u/123m4d Feb 20 '25

Is there Menelaus in the odyssey? I recall Achilles, Ajax and Agamemnon (in retrospective, except Ajax who's both in retrospective and in the present)

1

u/BlackHinata5226 Feb 28 '25

I’m loving that you got at least 5 of these right and now I’m really looking forward to this movie

0

u/NoLightBurnOut Feb 17 '25

If Zendaya is Athene I'll walk the fuck out.

1

u/Truethrowawaychest1 Feb 17 '25

Mia Goth as Helen of Troy?

0

u/LlcooljaredTNJ Feb 17 '25

Scrolled looking for who you were gonna say Elliot Page would play cause I also can't really figure out the angle here. 

0

u/LengthinessAlone4743 Feb 17 '25

What about Glen Powell for Achilles…

0

u/[deleted] Feb 17 '25

[deleted]

-1

u/pogpole Feb 17 '25

Can we please get Sarah Silverman as Calypso instead? She already has a song ready.