The Odyssey Movie’s Most Shocking Casting Repeats A Christopher Nolan Trick From His $553M Epic

After the runaway success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan used the cache he’d won with the film’s box office and post-release accolades to make an even bigger epic. His upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey will be the latest feature film of Homer’s tale, but it comes with the trademark practical filmmaking, IMAX-scale visuals, and a gigantic ensemble cast. When The Odyssey cast was first confirmed, it appeared to have almost every actor in Hollywood involved. Frequent collaborator Matt Damon is set to take the title role, flanked by Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Jon Bernthal, among others.

This weekend saw the release of new footage from The Odyssey in the form of a fresh TV spot, but with it came a surprise reveal: even more casting news. Hidden in the new footage was confirmation that rapper and Grammy Award-nominee Travis Scott has a role in the film. Naturally, Scott’s role has not even been teased by Universal or Nolan up to this point, making the reveal that he’s in the movie a major surprise, and one that has fans confounded by his appearance. The truth of the matter is that it repeats a classic trick that Christopher Nolan has used before.

Read Next

Fans Slam The Odyssey Trailer With a Tidal Wave Of Criticism Over 1 Thing

Travis Scott in The Odyssey Is A Classic Christopher Nolan Trick

Play video

The new footage from The Odyssey reveals Scott as a bard in the context of the movie, something that would have been quite common at the time. In the scene, he recounts key moments from Odysseus’ life, specifically the Trojan horse plan that was used against Troy, and the heroism that went into his actions that ended that conflict. It’s a brief, but powerful appearance by Scott, and fans on social media couldn’t believe it, with a variety of reactions that expressed confusion (and, yes, anger).

It’s worth noting, however, that Christopher Nolan, an Academy Award-winner, has long had the trick of casting people in roles that fans would not expect to be good on the surface, but who turn out to deliver a great performance. Just three years ago, Nolan hired former Nickelodeon star Josh Peck for a key role in Oppenheimer, a move that sparked similar confusion until the film itself was released. Nolan has even done this with a musician before, bringing Harry Styles into the cast of Dunkirk for his feature film debut, which was once again a great call on his part as the movie made $553 million globally and brought him more Oscar nominations. Lest we forget, Nolan also hired David Bowie for a key role in The Prestige (Though Bowie had, of course, acted previously, it marked his first role in years).

Suffice to say, Travis Scott appearing in The Odyssey has a lot of precedence when considering Christopher Nolan’s filmography up to this point. Furthermore, there’s history between Nolan and Scott that cannot go unacknowledged. Scott previously wrote and performed an original song for Nolan’s 2020 movie Tenet, called “The Plan,” which the filmmaker lavished with praise, calling Scott’s voice “the final piece of a yearlong puzzle,” and telling GQ: “His insights into the musical and narrative mechanism [composer] Ludwig Göransson and I were building were immediate, insightful, and profound.” Travis Scott can be seen in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey this summer, debuting on July 17.