Christopher Nolan has responded to online backlash surrounding his forthcoming film The Odyssey, after critics questioned the historical accuracy of the epic’s costume design.
The Oscar-winning director’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem has faced scrutiny since trailers emerged last year, with particular attention focused on the armour worn by Mr Safdie’s King Agamemnon.
Social media users drew comparisons between the imposing black armour and Batman’s costume from Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
“Kinda crazy to wear those dark colours in one of the sunniest places in the world,” one critic wrote on X, while another claimed the costumes looked “boring.”
Christopher Nolan has responded to the backlash
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A third added: “It looks like a “Batman with a hint of Warhammer 40K” fever dream.”
A fourth critic wrote on X: “This is what happens when an overinflated ego goes out of control. You think you can just do anything you want and people will love it because you’re the best. Nolan has completely lost it this time.”
However, some social media users defended Mr Nolan’s costume choices.
“I’m convinced some of these people think these events are real and the movie is a documentary/biopic,” one person wrote on X.
The Odyssey will come out this summer
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Another penned: “I’m sorry, I’m lost here. Is this supposed to be an educationally instructive master’s class in archaeological reenactment, designed to inform everyone who couldn’t stay awake in high school history class or a MOVIE?”
Speaking to Time magazine in a profile published on Tuesday, Ms Nolan defended the creative choices by pointing to archaeological evidence from the period.
“There are Mycenaean daggers that are blackened bronze,” the 55-year-old filmmaker explained.
“The theory is they probably could have blackened bronze in those days. You take bronze, you add more gold and silver to it and then use sulfur.”
Elliot Page will star in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey | GETTY
The director added that costume designer Ms Mirojnick intentionally selected luxurious-looking materials to reflect Agamemnon’s status among the Greek warriors.
Mr Nolan acknowledged historians only have “very fragmentary archaeological records” from the Bronze Age, but insisted the production approached the source material seriously rather than treating it “frivolously”.
The filmmaker also addressed questions surrounding his decision to cast rapper Travis Scott as a bard, a professional poet who recounts heroic tales.
Mr Scott, 35, previously worked with Mr Nolan on the 2020 thriller Tenet, contributing the track The Plan to its soundtrack.
“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Mr Nolan said.
Homer’s Odyssey is widely believed to have been passed down orally for generations before eventually being written down, making the connection between ancient bardic storytelling and modern hip-hop a deliberate artistic choice.
The Odyssey arrives in cinemas on July 17 and features a star-studded cast led by Mr Damon as the wandering Greek king Odysseus.
Tom Holland portrays his son Telemachus, while Anne Hathaway plays his loyal wife Penelope.
The $250million (£185million) production also stars Zendaya as the goddess Athena, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, and Lupita Nyong’o in a dual role as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra.
Mr Nolan also compared the criticism to reactions he previously received over Interstellar’s scientific concepts, arguing imagining both the distant future and the ancient past requires a degree of creative interpretation.
Other controversies have also reared their heads surrounding the upcoming blockbuster.
The Odyssey | Official New Trailer
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Elon Musk recently weighed in on online speculation surrounding reports that actor Elliot Page could portray Achilles in the film, branding the rumoured casting as “one of the dumbest and most twisted things I’ve ever heard.”
There has been no official confirmation regarding which character Page will play in the adaptation.
Furthermore, clips from the official trailer released in May showed Matt Damon (Odysseus) using a standard American accent and shouting phrases like “Let’s go!” before battle, which caused social media discussion online.