The trailer quickly sparked backlash across social media, where critics argued the film strays too far from Homer’s ancient Greek epic.
Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Odyssey is drawing renewed controversy after actress Lupita Nyong'o questioned how Homer portrayed women in his ancient Greek epics, asking what she would say to the legendary poet if given the chance.
"I would be like so Homer, how do you feel about the screen time given to these women considering how little time you spent with them?" she said to YouTube channel Jake Take's.
Nyong'o later expanded on those remarks, arguing that Homer's Iliad and Odyssey largely tell the story from a male perspective.
"When you read the Iliad and The Odyssey, very little time is spent from the perspective of the women. It's told from a very masculine side of things," Nyong'o said in an interview with YouTube channel DC Film Girl. "The Odyssey takes a lot of time to really consider things from the female perspective. And so we see in Helen and Clytemnestra how this war has affected them both, and they respond to it very differently because of their experience."
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Nyong'o's remarks have only added to a broader debate surrounding the film, which intensified after the release of its final trailer.
The trailer quickly sparked backlash across social media, where critics argued the film strays too far from Homer's ancient Greek epic. Much of the criticism has focused on the casting, with detractors claiming several characters have been reimagined in ways that don't match their traditional depictions. Comments on the video were ruthless.
"I paid nothing to see this trailer and I already want my money back," one user joked.
"The Odyssey: Downtown LA edition," another quipped.
One of the biggest talking points has been Lupita Nyong'o's casting as Helen of Troy, the legendary beauty whose abduction sparked the Trojan War. Critics argue the role departs from the character's traditional description in classical literature, while supporters say it is simply a modern interpretation of the story.
The film has also received attention over the casting of transgender Elliot Page, prompting discussion about how Nolan's adaptation will handle gender and identity within the mythological story. While details about Page's role remain unknown, the casting has become yet another controversy in the larger debate surrounding modern adaptations of these classic works.
Beyond the casting, some viewers have criticized the trailer's dialogue and overall tone, arguing it carries too much slang for a story rooted in ancient Greece. Others, however, have praised the trailer's visuals and Nolan's ambitious take on one of literature's most enduring epics, per Breitbart.
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