The Odyssey is going to be a hit, whether the gods like it or not, and Universal Studios is working hard to ensure that. In what is a rather aggressive advertising technique, the studio authorized screenings of the film’s first six minutes ahead of IMAX 70mm re-screenings of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. The bold move will definitely get more people excited about the film, and we sure hope it translates to Christopher Nolan’s highest box office figures.
Adapted from Homer’s ancient Greek epic of the same name, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca. The camera will trace the character during his long and tedious journey home after the Trojan War as he tries to reunite with his wife, Penelope (portrayed by Anne Hathaway). The rest of the ensemble cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal.
‘Electra’ (1962)
Based on the similarly titled play by Greek tragedian, Euripides, Electra opens with the murder of King Agamemnon (Theodoros Dimitriou) by his wife Clytemnestra (Katina Paxinou) and her lover, Agamemnon’s cousin and childhood playmate, Aegisthus (Yannis Fertis). To prevent her from ascending to the throne, Agamemnon’s daughter, Electra (Irene Papas), is married off to a poor farmer. As expected, she starts obsessing over revenge, and a plan is finally set in motion when her brother Orestes (Yannis Fertis) returns in secret.
This opulent version of the classic play owes much to the central performance of legendary Greek actress Irene Papas, who many felt was wronged by being denied all the major awards. She is an expert in the role of a cold, calculating, relentless avenger. Excellent support comes from Yannis Fertis, whose character ignorantly wallows in bliss, unaware of what’s coming. His downfall, orchestrated quite ingeniously, is beautiful to watch.
Electra entered the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, where it won Best Cinematic Transposition. Additionally, it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The adaptation serves as the first installment of director Michael Cacoyannis’ “Greek tragedy” trilogy, followed by The Trojan Women and Iphigenia.
‘Blood of Zeus’ (2020 – 2025)
Set in Greece, Blood of Zeus is an animated series revolving around Heron (Derek Phillips), a commoner who finds out he is the demigod son of Zeus, sired from his numerous affairs. As giants and demons emerge to destroy Zeus, Heron takes up the responsibility of protecting the land. None of it is easy, but he applies himself.
In the ‘80s, a show of this kind would be full of jokes and fights. Here, series creators, the brothers Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, are economical with the action. Thankfully, the wonderful dialogue and manipulating machinations of the characters more than compensate for the limited onscreen derring-do. Trivia note: Heron is a series-exclusive character (who wants Hercules anyway?), but the existence of demigods of his kind is implied in many accounts of Greek mythology.
Look hard, and you are unlikely to find a show that’s more perfect than this. Each of its three seasons scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Charles and Vlas Parlapanides earned a Writers Guild of America nomination for their script, while composer Paul Edward-Francis was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Music for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.
‘Clash of the Titans’ (1981)
In Clash of the Titans, the gods task Perseus (Harry Hamlin), the mortal son of Zeus, with freeing the city of Argos and its princess, Andromeda (Judi Bowker), from the claws of the sea goddess Thetis, who is keen on punishing Queen Cassiopeia (Sian Phillips) for her haughtiness. An even harder task involves securing the head of the monstrous Medusa. How will he fare?
For a finely crafted, well-plotted, nerve-jarring tale of bravado and subterfuge, don’t let Clash of the Titans out of your thoughts. Prepare for plenty of great dialogue, too, and there’s actually an interesting story about that. Orion Pictures refused to finance the film after producer Charles H. Schneer denied their request to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead. Schneer felt the bodybuilder-turned-actor didn’t have what it took to nail the character’s numerous loaded lines.
Harry Hamlin did a great job anyway and has gone on to be associated with the role of Perseus for most of his career. He went on to voice the character in the video game, God of War II. The film’s legacy has been preserved in print, too. A novelization by Alan Dean Foster was published in 1981. Additionally, a four-issue comic book series titled Wrath of the Titans was released in 2007, picking up the story five years after the events of the film. Warning: Avoid Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson’s 2010 remake.
‘The Odyssey’ (1997)
Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie is actually the eleventh adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. The filmmaker will need to do an excellent job to top the previous works, especially The Odyssey, a 1997 American mythology–adventure television miniseries starring the great Armand Assante as Odysseus.
Assante is best remembered for playing John Gotti and leaving big shoes that Travolta struggled to fill, but he also gives a knockout performance in the miniseries. Several other actors hold their own, some with burly frames, others with husky voices, and so on.
Admittedly, the show would be nothing without the brilliant work of Russian director Andrei Sergeyevich Konchalovsky, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Special. The visuals aren’t as great as what we are guaranteed to get from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie, but everyone should watch this ‘90s gem to get a better understanding of the story before the big blockbuster comes out in summer 2026.
‘Troy’ (2004)
Troy also mines from Homer’s works, loosely adapting his poem, The Iliad. In it, Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) launches an invasion of Troy, together with his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox), when his wife Helen (Diane Kruger), Queen of Sparta, is kidnapped by Paris (Orlando Bloom). Leading the Myrmidons along with the rest of the Greek army is the skilled warrior, Archiles (Brad Pitt).
Nominated for the Best Costume Design Oscar, Troy looks like footage from the camera of someone who time-traveled to the Trojan War. It’s beautiful, and as the eye enjoys, the mind does, too. Director Wolfgang Petersen deals with one of the oldest themes in epic historical films: the balance between self-preservation and a detrimental conscience. Beyond that, Achilles’ physical and ethical evolution is beautiful to see, and Brad Pitt plays the hell out of the character, even though the script is weak in some areas.
A director’s cut of the film exists, though its arguably not superior to the initial version. Warner Home Video reportedly splashed more than $1 million for the new version, which has almost 30 minutes of extra footage, pushing the running time to 196 minutes, over the theatrical cut’s 163 minutes.
‘Xena Warrior Princess’ (1995 – 2001)
A spinoff of the short-lived sword and sorcery show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess revolves around Xena (Lucy Lawless), a warrior who craves redemption for her violent past. Followed by her loyal companion Gabrielle (Renée O’Connor), she journeys across the land, putting her sword to the bellies of evil people.
This action-packed and tightly coiled series benefits from a marvelous script (part of it was written by Terence Winter) and an exemplary cast, including Karl Urban and Bruce Campbell. A perfect blend of historical and mythological elements also makes the show interesting. Here, competing religions are depicted as compatible in a henotheistic world, such as the deities of the Greek Pantheon coexist the Norse gods.
Created by Sam Raimi, Xena: Warrior Princess ended up being more successful than its parent show. By Season 2, it had already become the top-rated syndicated drama series on American TV, and it remained in the top five for all six years it aired.
300’ (2006)
Things haven’t gone so well for Zack Snyder in the 2010s and the 2020s, but he was the man in the 2000s, mostly thanks to 300. The epic historical action flick is a slightly fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, played out during the Greco-Persian Wars. The situation becomes a lot more interesting when King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads 300 skilled Spartans into battle against the feared Persian “God-King” Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his large army of 300,000 men. Crazy, isn’t he? No!
The plot, plucked from Frank Miller’s similarly titled 1998 comic book series, is as ridiculous as they come, and that’s a good thing. But the power of this film lies not so much in the events, but in the CGI. 300 is one of the prettiest movies you’ll ever see, which is quite remarkable, for something that was filmed, almost in its entirety, in the studio. You’ll struggle to point out any other actor with better abs than what Gerard Butler flaunts to us here.
The film’s quality can also be linked to Snyder’s choice to make it a shot-for-shot adaptation of the comic book, similar to what was done in Sin City. The director has always been criticized for poor scripts, and he shields himself from such problems on this occasion through his fidelity to the source material. Perhaps he should do more and more adaptations.
- Release Date
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July 17, 2026
- Producers
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Emma Thomas
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