John Leguizamo speaks about Christopher Nolan’s style working on The Odyssey. Set for release in 2026, Nolan’s next film will be an adaptation of the classic Homer epic of the same name. Matt Damon will play the lead role of Odysseus, with Holland playing him and Penelope’s son, Telemachus. Leguizamo is another cast member in the film, with the movie’s packed and star-studded cast also including Jon Bernthal, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Cosmo Jarvis, Elliot Page, Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie, and Samantha Morton.

Speaking with MSNBC, Leguizamo teased Nolan’s directorial style on The Odyssey, stating the director is running the set “like an indie film.” He elaborated that Nolan is “not doing it by committee” nor just following a conventional studio film format. Money-wise, The Odyssey is not like an indie film, as Leguizamo admits the movie has a “crazy budget.” Check out the full quote from Leguizamo below:

“Dude, you know the thing is, okay, he’s got a crazy budget. It’s not small, but he runs [it] like an indie film because he’s not doing it by committee, he’s not doing it by what the studio. He’s like an indie filmmaker but with crazy money.”

What This Means For Christopher Nolan

Nolan Is Known For Big Budgets

To make a production whose costumes and sets match the vast scale of The Odyssey, it makes sense that Nolan would have a mᴀssive budget. In fact, the filmmaker’s last few films have cost a pretty penny, with his Best Picture winner estimated at a $100 million budget and his 2020 sci-fi thriller Tenet even higher, coming in at around $205 million. Early reports have said that the Homer adaptation will go even bigger, with a potential budget of around $250 million.

In bigger-budgeted Hollywood films, in the MCU and beyond, the process tends to be pretty formulaic and sees directors less hands-on than they might be in a smaller film. Leguizamo’s comment, however, proves that this is far from the case when it comes to Nolan’s film. The director has his original roots in smaller-scale indie through films like Memento, so it makes sense that he would be fully involved. How this style will impact The Odyssey remains to be seen.

Our Take On Nolan’s Directing For The Odyssey

Nolan Thinks Big

Leguizamo’s quote is a good reminder of how Nolan stands out from other major blockbuster directors. His films tend to be high-grossing, but they never lack creativity or ambition. Whether talking about real scientists in Oppenheimer or crafting a time travel narrative in Tenet, Nolan thinks on a large scale while still having a clear artistic vision. This dual focus makes his work interesting overall, and it sounds like The Odyssey is no exception.

Source: MSNBC