Christopher Nolan finally brings 20-year-old Troy idea to life in 'The Odyssey'

Christopher Nolan has revealed that one of the most striking images in The Odyssey has been in his mind for more than two decades, dating back to the time he was attached to direct Troy before leaving the project in the early 2000s.

Speaking to Total Film, Nolan explained that although his version of Troy never materialised, he held onto a visual concept that ultimately found its way into his adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey.

"I've had an image of that horse sinking into the sand in my head for 20 years," Nolan said.

The filmmaker was originally in talks to direct 2004's Troy, based on Homer's Iliad, before the project returned to Wolfgang Petersen, who ultimately made the Brad Pitt-led historical epic. Nolan instead went on to direct Batman Begins, launching his acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy.

More than 20 years later, Nolan finally incorporated the long-held image into The Odyssey. Rather than depicting the Trojan Horse triumphantly standing after the battle, he envisioned it abandoned and partially swallowed by the shoreline, a haunting reminder of the devastating war that preceded Odysseus' journey home.

According to Nolan, the image symbolises the aftermath of conflict rather than its victory, setting the emotional tone for Odysseus' decade-long voyage back to Ithaca.

The Oscar-winning director said ideas often remain with him for years before finding the right project.

"Sometimes an image just stays with you until you discover the story it belongs in," he explained.

The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso and Elliot Page as Sinon. The film marks Nolan's first adaptation of Homer's epic poem and his most ambitious production to date.

The director has previously said he was drawn to The Odyssey because, despite influencing thousands of years of storytelling, it had never received a modern large-scale cinematic adaptation.

"It was kind of a thrilling opportunity... a gap in the culture that you get to fill," Nolan recently said of choosing the project after Oppenheimer.

For Nolan, the abandoned Trojan Horse is more than a striking visual, it is the culmination of an idea that survived two decades, multiple films and an entirely different career path before finally finding its place on screen in The Odyssey, which arrives in cinemas on July 17, 2026.