Christopher Nolan has shared insights into how he ended up directing Batman Begins after being passed over for Troy at Warner Bros. The filmmaker discussed the project shuffle in a recent interview, reflecting on his long-standing interest in ancient Greek epics. This comes ahead of his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, set for release in 2026.
Background on the Project Shift
In a new interview with Empire magazine, Christopher Nolan revealed that he was initially hired by Warner Bros. to direct the epic Troy, based on Homer's Iliad. The project had been developed by Wolfgang Petersen, who was also attached to a Batman vs. Superman film at the studio. When Warner Bros. decided not to move forward with Petersen's superhero project, he requested to return to Troy, leaving Nolan without that opportunity.
Nolan told Empire, “I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct Troy. Wolfgang had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [Batman vs. Superman], he wanted [Troy] back.” Instead, Nolan took on the Dark Knight reboot, which became Batman Begins in 2005, launching a successful trilogy.
Connection to The Odyssey
Nolan's experience with Troy has lingered in his mind, influencing his latest project. He explained his fascination with the ancient world, stating, “At the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore. So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.”
After his 2023 film Oppenheimer, which earned seven Oscars and over $975 million worldwide for Universal, Nolan announced The Odyssey as his next Warner Bros. collaboration last December. Premiering in IMAX on July 17, 2026, the film adapts Homer's epic with a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and others.
Nolan emphasized innovation in mythological storytelling, saying, “As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with—Ray Harryhausen movies and other things—I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.” This marks Nolan's return to epic scale after his atomic bomb drama.