The controversy sparked by Hollywood Blockbuster "The Odyssey"

The film “The Odyssey,” directed by Christopher Nolan, has drawn criticism mainly due to its casting choices and the changes made to the original myth, which sparked intense debate long before its release.

The film is a loose adaptation of Homer’s epic. Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster features an impressive cast, including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Elliot Page.

There are numerous points of contention: historical accuracy to Greek mythology, the reinvention of the classic myth, and controversy surrounding the casting. For example, the choice of Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o to play Helen of Troy has been criticized on social media.

The most prominent critic of this casting choice is billionaire Elon Musk, who—without having seen the film—launched a campaign against it on X as early as last January. According to Musk, the film cast a Black actress and the transgender actor Elliot Page in order to meet the Academy of Arts and Sciences’ standards for representation and inclusion.

Filming in Greece received 6.5 million euros in public funding, which angered certain political groups and far-right circles, who criticized the use of taxpayer money for a foreign blockbuster.

In a country like Greece, where this text has been studied in schools for centuries, the debate centers on whether Hollywood has the right to reinvent such a central element of the nation’s culture.