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Christopher Nolan has tackled Homer's legendary Greek epic with his new film The Odyssey. It marks the first time the "Odyssey" poem has been adapted for the big screen in full. That put a tremendous amount of pressure on Nolan to get it right and include everything that audiences familiar with Greek mythology would expect.
The story primarily revolves around Matt Damon's Odysseus, Ithaca's ruler and war hero who has been away from home for 20 years after embarking on the mission to take over Troy. The Odyssey's characters include his wife Penelope, their son Telemachus, suitors hoping to take his throne, like Antinous, Helen of Troy, and the Greek hero Agamemnon. There are even mythological creatures and gods, such as Circe, Athena, and the cyclops Polyphemus.
But one question that loomed over The Odyssey from the beginning was whether legendary Greek hero Achilles would appear. Achilles is the central character in Homer's other epic poem, "Iliad," which also included Odysseus in a small role. Given the more well-known aspects of Achilles' story and Nolan's propensity for surprises, speculation ran wild that the Trojan War hero would appear before The Odyssey's ending.
Now that The Odyssey has been released, it is officially confirmed that Achilles is not in the movie. Theories that Elliot Page played the hero proved to be false, and there was no secret casting of Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, or other Nolan regulars in the role. Despite how easily Nolan could have included Achilles, The Odyssey keeping him out makes sense.
Why Achilles Isn't In The Odyssey
Nolan has not addressed Achilles' lack of involvement in The Odyssey to this point, but he doesn't really need to explain the reasons behind this decision. It might not have even been much of a consideration for him to begin with.
Curiosity about Achilles' appearance in The Odyssey was driven by those who are familiar with Greek mythology and the Trojan War, not due to what it is in Homer's poem. Achilles only has a very limited role in "Odyssey." Nolan may have never even considered including the character in his adaptation, even if the decision marks a change for The Odyssey compared to the source material.
Achilles' recognizability may have also played a factor. With the character previously being featured in hit movies like 2004's Troy and played by Brad Pitt, any appearance by him could have taken audiences' attention away from Odysseus' journey. Keeping him on the sidelines allows The Odyssey not to overshadow its protagonist.
It's also worth noting that Achilles is dead in Greek mythology during the majority of The Odyssey's story. He died near the end of the Trojan War after being shot with an arrow. Since most of The Odyssey takes place after this point in time, it would not have made sense for Achilles to appear in anything other than flashbacks to the days of the Trojan War and battle for Troy.
How Achilles Could Have Appeared In The Odyssey
Despite those reasons, Achilles appearing in The Odyssey was not impossible. Multiple sections of the movie are set during the thick of the Trojan War and depict the actions of Agamemnon's army, which Achilles was a member. Nolan could have included the iconic hero in any of these sequences as a way to acknowledge Homer's other epic.
This could have still been done while keeping the focus on Odysseus. In "Illiad," Odysseus is sent to mend fences between Achilles and Agamemnon during the war. Including this scene in The Odyssey could have been another way to establish how important and influential Odysseus was to the Achaean army succeeding in toppling Troy.
Even without the flashbacks to the Trojan War, The Odyssey could have included Achilles' poem role rather easily. In Homer's epic, Odysseus speaks to shades in the underworld, one of which is Achilles. Nolan includes the sequence of Damon's character conversing with dead soldiers, like Sinon and Agamemnon, in the underworld, so an Achilles cameo could have worked here.
