12 hours ago
Elliot Page Joins the Cast of Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After starring in a movie that has become a classic – Jason Reitman's "Juno" from 2007 – Elliot Page is set to star in a movie adapted from a classic: Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," which Christopher Nolan is adapting to film.
The Hollywood Reporter detailed that Page, along with three other well-known actors – Bill Irwin (Nolan's film "Interstellar"), Samantha Morton ("Sweet and Lowdown"), and Himesh Patel ("The Franchise") – will "round out the supporting cast" of the movie, which has already been stocked with A-listers, including Jon Bernthal ("The Walking Dead"), Matt Damon, and Anne Hathaway (who worked with Nolan on "Interstellar"), Tom Holland (the most recent "Spider-Man" movies), Lupita Nyong'o ("Black Panther") Robert Pattinson ("The Batman"), Benny Safdie (Nolan's "Oppenheimer"), Charlize Theron ("Atomic Blonde"), and Zendaya (who has been romantically linked with Holland and co-starred with him in several "Spider-Man" movies).
Thought to be at least 2,700 years old, "The Odyssey" relates the story of how Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, journeys home after the 10-year siege of Troy. The trip takes him another decade, and is filled with threats of every sort: sea monsters, killer mermaids, giant one-eyed men, and a goddess who keeps him as her lover on a secluded island for years on end.
Even when he reaches Ithaca, Odysseus is faced with danger, as his wife, Penelope, uses a clever stratagem to fend off eager suitors hoping to assume Odysseus' wealth and prestige.
While the source material may date back millennia, Nolan plans to use cutting-edge cinema technology to capture his vision.
"The studio describes the project as a 'mythic action epic shot across the world across the world using brand new Imax film technology,'" THR noted.
Page was a principle cast member in the recently concluded Netflix series "The Umbrella Academy." He also took on acting, writing, and producing duties in the trans drama "Close to You" (which streamed on Netflix).
"The Odyssey" is generally considered a companion work to another ancient epic poem, "The Iliad," which is also attributed to Homer. With Wolfgang Petersen having made a big-budget adaptation of that work in 2004 – casting Brad Pitt in the role of legendary Greek warrior Achilles – cineastes will finally have a contemporary double feature that brings the tales to life.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
