Christopher Nolan Confirms How ‘Troy’ Removal Inspired ‘The Odyssey’

Christopher Nolan‘s Batman Begins helped the filmmaker make the jump from gritty, thrilling stories and into the big-budget space, though the filmmaker recently recalled how he was attached to 2004’s Troy before Warner Bros. gave that project to Wolfgang Peterson. Despite the star power of Troy, that action-adventure has largely been forgotten, but Nolan’s close call with swords and sandals helped ignite an interest in that genre that he’s finally diving deep into with The Odyssey. With Peterson having more clout at the time of Troy, it’s hard to imagine what Nolan’s take on the material would have been with likely limited resources and how a possible underperformance would have impacted Nolan’s entire future. While Nolan has previously revealed his close call with Troy, his recent comments remark on how this triggered his inspiration for the upcoming epic.

While speaking with Empire Magazine, per World of Reel, Nolan reflected on the unexpected chapter of his career:

“I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct Troy. Wolfgang [Petersen] had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [Batman Vs Superman], he wanted it back … At the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore. So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.”

Troy, which starred Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Brian Cox, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, and Diane Kruger, had an estimated budget of $175+ million and went on to take in nearly $500 million worldwide. While this is a significant haul for 2004, the movie only sits at 54% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Batman Begins, though, took in $375 million worldwide on a budget of $150, and while that might not be as strong of a return on investment, Nolan’s take on Bruce Wayne sits at 85% positive reviews.

How ‘Batman Begins’ Changed the World of Superheroes

Batman costume in Batman Begins

Warner Bros.

Superman and Batman marked the most successful big-screen adaptations in the ’70s, ’80s, and early ’90s, but by 1997, the gothic, brooding roots of Batman had been traded for the camp neon of Batman & Robin. With DC heroes being absent from cinemas in the late ’90s, Marvel took a shot at movies, resulting in Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, with each movie being more successful than the last. As Marvel got to lean into the lighthearted nature of their heroes for bright, colorful adventures, Nolan revived the dark and gritty aspects of Batman. Even if Begins wasn’t as profitable as Troy, it completely revived interest in the character, and Nolan’s sequel The Dark Knight would gross $1 billion worldwide on a budget of $185 million, score 94% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and earn Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker.

To this day, The Dark Knight is considered one of the best superhero movies of all time, whose cultural impact is felt to this day. The idea of a gritty, grounded takes on a comic book character is a cliche at this point, but that’s because it’s a tried-and-true strategy for a reimagining, thanks to Batman Begins. Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy also cemented his talents as a filmmaker with large-scale projects, as well as his bankability. Subsequent projects like Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer only further showcased the critical acclaim he can earn on a variety of projects, as well as how much money he can bring to a studio.

There’s no real doubt that Nolan could have made Troy a successful experience, though at that point in his career, it’s hard to imagine his vision being fully realized. Additionally, that potential film’s shortcomings would have taken a toll on Nolan’s reputation and future projects. Had Peterson gotten to deliver his Batman Vs Superman, the current slate of superhero cinema would likely look quite different.