Nolan Explains Travis Scott Casting in The Odyssey

Director Christopher Nolan has explained his decision to cast rapper Travis Scott as a bard in his upcoming epic "The Odyssey," linking the role to the ancient Greek poem's origins in oral storytelling traditions akin to modern rap.

In interviews, Nolan described the casting as a deliberate reference to how "The Odyssey" was handed down through performance before being written down. "I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap," Nolan said. Scott, who previously contributed music to Nolan's 2020 film "Tenet," appears in the trailer reciting the tale of the Trojan Horse before Menelaus at a banquet, silencing a rowdy hall to address Telemachus, played by Tom Holland.

The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyongo, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal. Shot entirely on IMAX cameras and distributed by Universal Pictures, it marks the first feature-length production using the format exclusively. It arrives in theaters on July 17.

Nolan also detailed the film's unconventional score, composed by three-time Academy Award winner Ludwig Göransson. He...