Every few months, the internet seems to rediscover an old argument and present it like it’s the latest news. This time, the controversy centers on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey (2026), particularly the movie’s all-female lead and the ensuing culture war that followed the casting announcement.
Online backlash questions Christopher Nolan’s integrity
Apparently, the upcoming mythological actioner from the director of The Dark Knight and Inception boasts an all-star lineup of talent, with The Devil Wears Prada actress Anne Hathaway playing the role of Penelope, the long-suffering wife of Odysseus. Euphoria actress Zendaya is set to play the role of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. Charlize Theron is playing the role of Circe, the sorceress who tests Odysseus’ mettle. American Horror Stories actress Mia Goth is playing the role of Melantho, the unfaithful servant of Odysseus in the city of Ithaca. Samantha Morton is playing the role of an unspecified character.
However, the casting that has garnered the most flak is Lupita Nyong’o playing the role of Helen of Troy. This piece of information alone has sparked the ire of the internet, with the movie being accused of “race-swapping” and “cultural erasure” because of the actress’s Black appearance and the role of the character. Elon Musk chimed in on X, saying that “Chris Nolan has lost his integrity” regarding the casting of the role. The pushback was swift.
Some argued that, given that The Odyssey is a work of mythology rather than recorded history, perhaps Helen never even existed. Others pointed to the hypocrisy of demanding realism in a film featuring gods, curses, monsters, and a Zeus who can transform into an animal. If you can accept an immortal god having an affair with a mortal woman and a child born from an egg, then perhaps you can accept a different aesthetic of beauty. But perhaps the larger question here is what constitutes integrity in an adaptation of mythology.
For some, it’s about familiar imagery. For others, it’s about familiar themes: desire, power, consequence, and war, rather than skin tone. Nolan’s body of work suggests the latter. He’s never been a literalist, always pushing history and genre to fit a larger idea. And The Odyssey continues to come together as Nolan’s most ambitious film to date. Filmed entirely on IMAX, with a reported $250 million budget, it’s scheduled for release on July 17, 2026. As always, it will be a verdict not found in comment sections or social media, but when the ships finally sail onto screens everywhere.
