Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron’s place in the ever-expanding cast for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey has reportedly been confirmed, and it’s a perfect role for the celebrated actress. On the heels of his acclaimed historical drama Oppenheimer, Nolan will dip into antiquity to adapt Homer’s epic Greek poem.

While the roles of most of the A-listers who have been cast in The Odyssey remain a mystery, we recently learned which character from one of the greatest literary accomplishments of the ancient world Theron will be playing. In a red carpet interview with Variety, Theron confirmed that she would be portraying the goddess of sorcery, Circe.

Circe plays one of the primary antagonists in the context of The Odyssey, as a powerful sorceress who traps the hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his men on her island and transforms his crew into animals. While there has been no formal announcement of the casting from Nolan or Universal, Theron’s response in the interview confirms that she is in fact playing Circe.

What Charlize Theron’s Comments Mean For The Odyssey

Theron Will Be Playing One Of The Epic Poem’s Most Powerful Characters

Circe is one of the most powerful characters in Homer’s epic poem, and in the narrative she waylays Odysseus on his journey home for more than a year. In addition to her transforming half of his men into animals with drugged wine and cheese, Odysseus is seduced by Circe, and in the expanded mythology fathers a son with her named Telegonus.

After staying on Circe’s island for a year, Odysseus and his men (who have been transformed back into humans) leave, and are advised/aided on the remainder of their journey by Circe. She is a complicated character in the context of Homer’s Odyssey, and even more so given that her son with Odysseus eventually goes on to accidentally kill his father.

The fact than an actress of Theron’s caliber has been cast as Circe could yield some clues about what the plot of Nolan’s The Odyssey will include. The original epic poem features 24 total “books”, and to adapt the entire work accurately would require a multi-season TV show, not a single movie (even if it’s three hours long).

It seems like Odysseus’ stop at Aeaea (Circe’s island) will be a major arc in the movie, which could not possibly include all the detours on Odysseus’ 20-year journey home. Circe could wind up being the closest thing to a legitimate villain that the movie has given her ongoing involvement with his journey, even if that isn’t exactly what her role is in the original poem.

Our Take On Charlize Theron’s Casting As Circe In The Odyssey

She’s The Perfect Actress To Portray Circe’s Power And Danger

Charlize Theron is a perfect choice to play Circe given not only her skills and experience in drama, but specifically in the context of magic, power, and evil. Theron has played some legitimately scary villains in her career, perhaps most famously the serial killer Aileen Wuronos in Monster, which earned her an Oscar, and as the seductive villainess Cipher in the Fast and Furious franchise.

She’s even brought an evil sorceress to life on the big screen before, as Queen Ravenna in the dark action fantasies Snow White and the Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter’s War. Theron has the gravitas to convincingly play a dark, magical villain, which will be the role for Circe when Odysseus first encounters her at the very least.

She also has experience as a character who uses seduction and manipulation to achieve her goals, which is perfect for Circe in the context of The Odyssey. She could certainly borrow elements of her role as Lorraine Broughton in Atomic Blonde to craft the character of Circe, and make her a truly memorable part of the movie whether she’s technically a villain or not.

Charlize Theron is frankly the ideal choice for the character of Circe out of all known cast members in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. She has experience with all the most essential aspects of Circe’s character as one of the key obstacles on Odysseus’ long journey home.

Source: Variety