Christopher Nolan has explained why rapper Travis Scott was cast in The Odyssey, revealing that the decision directly connects to the ancient oral tradition behind Homer’s epic poem. Speaking about the project, Nolan said he viewed rap music as a modern equivalent of oral poetry, describing Scott’s casting as a deliberate thematic choice rather than a celebrity cameo. The film releases in theaters and IMAX on July 17, 2026.
Why did Nolan choose to cast rapper Travis Scott?
According to Christopher Nolan, the role of a rapper in The Odyssey was created to acknowledge the oral poetry nature of the plot. Speaking about the character he played, Nolan revealed that Scott has a connection with the bard, who preserves and recites historical events using spoken words and acting skills. Therefore, the casting of Scott can be called a very appropriate one.
As noted above, the casting of Scott took place in early 2026 and was mentioned in a promo video that was shown during the AFC Championship TV broadcast made by Fox in January. Along with Travis Scott, Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal appeared in this clip. Travis Scott said the following: “A war, a man, a trick to break the walls of Troy and burn it straight into the ground!”
In addition, this is not the first cooperation of Nolan and Scott since the rapper participated in Nolan’s movie, Tenet, with its soundtrack in 2020. As we can see, Nolan appreciates Scott as a musician, so maybe this time Scott will create songs for The Odyssey. However, there is no information available on that topic right now.
What is The Odyssey? In a nutshell, this is an adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic that tells us about King Odysseus and his perilous journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Besides, Nolan writes and directs the movie, producing it along with Emma Thomas under their production house, Syncopy. Universal Pictures will release the movie soon.
Speaking about the filming style of the movie, Nolan continues his love for practical effects. Apparently, the whole picture will be filmed using only IMAX cameras with a huge focus on in-camera effects. Moreover, Nolan has chosen the same collaborators who worked with him on his last movie, Oppenheimer. Among these names, we find Hoyte van Hoytema (cinematographer) and Ludwig Göransson (composer).
The ensemble cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Charlize Theron as Circe, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, and Himesh Patel as Eurylochus. Additional cast members include Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo, and Benny Safdie.
