{"id":1847,"date":"2026-05-12T17:24:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/christopher-nolan-defends-backlash-to-odyssey-casting\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:24:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:24:22","slug":"christopher-nolan-defends-backlash-to-odyssey-casting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/christopher-nolan-defends-backlash-to-odyssey-casting\/","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Nolan defends backlash to \u2018Odyssey\u2019 casting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/127553311.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Christopher Nolan has defended his decision to cast rapper Travis Scott in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d after receiving harsh backlash over the choice.<\/p>\n<p>The famed filmmaker addressed the controversy surrounding Scott\u2019s appearance in his upcoming adaptation of the Ancient Greek epic <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/05\/12\/christopher-nolan-odyssey-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">during a new interview with Time<\/a> published Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,\u201d Nolan, 55, explained.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Christopher Nolan defended his decision to cast Travis Scott (as pictured here) in the \u201cOdyssey\u201d following backlash. <span class=\"credit\">Universal Pictures\/ Youtube<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Nolan addressed the controversy around his decision to include Scott (seen here in June 2025) as an Ancient Greek storyteller in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d during an interview with Time published Tuesday. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The 35-year-old \u201cSicko Mode\u201d rapper\u2019s role in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d was first revealed in an exclusive TV teaser trailer released back in January, <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2026\/01\/the-odyssey-travis-scott-first-look-christopher-nolan-1236696529\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">per Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA war, a man, a trick \u2014 a trick to break the walls of Troy,\u201d Scott, dressed as a storyteller, shouts in the clip as images of the Trojan War flash across the screen. \u201cIt burning, screaming to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But viewers quickly rushed to social media to question Nolan\u2019s surprising decision to include the hip-hop icon in his latest flick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan does not know what he\u2019s doing anymore or he really really really wants an Oscar for this \u2018film,&#8217;\u201d one person <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BenTramerlives\/status\/2054217168108065169\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tweeted following the news<\/a> of Scott\u2019s role in the movie.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cI cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,\u201d Nolan (pictured here this past April) explained. <span class=\"credit\">Rob Latour\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The \u201cSicko Mode\u201d rapper is the latest star Nolan (seen here filming \u201cInterstellar\u201d in 2014) has added to his upcoming adaptation of Homer\u2019s Ancient Greek epic. <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Paramount\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYep, this is gonna go as well as trying to put out a forest fire,\u201d added another.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you thought the bomb in Oppenheimer was big \u2013 you ain\u2019t seen nothing yet,\u201d commented a third critic, while a fourth called the rapper\u2019s casting \u201cpretentious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other viewers, however, pointed out that Nolan and Scott previously worked together on the filmmaker\u2019s film \u201cTenet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cRodeo\u201d artist\u2019s track \u201cThe Plan\u201d was used as the theme song for the 2020 sci-fi thriller.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, Travis did do a song for Tenet,\u201d one fan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DT9CN0AiDjW\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote on Instagram<\/a> amid the backlash.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cThis is gonna go as well as trying to put out a forest fire,\u201d one critic wrote after it was revealed Scott (pictured here this past January) would be in \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Other fans defended the \u201c90210\u201d rapper (seen here this past March) and his role in \u201cThe Odyssey.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTyler was in Marty Supreme and it wasn\u2019t a big deal,\u201d added another regarding Tyler, the Creator\u2019s role in last year\u2019s \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in his interview with Time, Nolan explained he once again hired a team of experts to help him make \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d as accurate as possible \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2014\/10\/23\/christopher-nolan-hosts-screening-of-interstellar\/\">something he previously did for 2014\u2019s \u201cInterstellar.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor \u2018Interstellar,\u2019 you\u2019re looking at: What is the best speculation of the future? When you\u2019re looking at the ancient past, it\u2019s actually the same thing,\u201d Nolan said. \u201cWhat is the best speculation, and how can I use that to create a world?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Nolan cast an ensemble of A-listers in his adaptation of \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d including Matt Damon as Odysseus (as pictured here). <span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Universal\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Damon (seen here as Odysseus in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d) will co-star alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and more Hollywood icons. <span class=\"credit\">Universal Pictures\/ Youtube<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The filmmaker added, \u201cHopefully they\u2019ll enjoy the film, even if they don\u2019t agree with everything. We had a lot of scientists complain about \u2018Interstellar.\u2019 But you just don\u2019t want people to think that you took it on frivolously.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17.<\/p>\n<p>Besides <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2025\/04\/14\/celebrity-news\/matt-damon-shirtless-on-yacht-after-odyssey-transformation\/\">Matt Damon as Odysseus<\/a>, the forthcoming epic\u00a0fantasy action film will also see an ensemble of A-listers, including Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena and many more.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/05\/12\/entertainment\/christopher-nolan-defends-backlash-to-odyssey-casting\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christopher Nolan has defended his decision to cast rapper Travis Scott in \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d after<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/127553311.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}