Nolan, for his directorial or writing faults, is an exceptionally talented technical filmmaker, and seemed tailor made to bring ancient Greece and the legendary story to life.Matt Damon was cast as Odysseus, the lead character whose hero's journey became the basis of storytelling for thousands of years to come.
While Damon isn't Greek, it was generally an inoffensive choice.Much of the rest of the casting? Could not have been worse.And while "The Odyssey" is still likely to be a financial success, judging by reactions to the latest, final trailer that hit the internet recently, it's decisions like these clear that audiences are not thrilled with what Nolan's done with a foundational, beloved story.Christopher Nolan, left, and Emma Thomas pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'The Odyssey' on Monday, July 6, 2026, in London.
(Scott A Garfitt / AP)AMAZON ANNOUNCES SEARCH FOR NEXT JAMES BOND IS UNDERWAY, AS HOLLYWOOD CASTING CHOICES COME UNDER SCRUTINYNolan cast Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, the daughter of a Kenyan politician who was born in Mexico City.He cast Elliot Page, a 5'1 transgender actor, as Sinon, a soldier and the cousin of Odysseus.
Indian actor Himesh Patel will portray Eurylochus, one of the key members of Odysseus' group.Rapper Travis Scott is set to play a Homeric bard.
Reactions to these announcements were mixed, to say the least.While YouTube long ago hid the number of dislikes on videos, several sites have come up with methodology to estimate and calculate the ratio of positive and negative responses.While the numbers may or may not be exactly accurate, directionally, it's likely to be representative of the public's views.
And some estimators have now calculated that there are over 542,000 dislikes on the final trailer, compared to 64,000 "likes." A ratio of nearly 90% negative to positive.That's bad enough, but Nyong'o made some public comments this week during the film's promotional campaign that once again demon...