Christopher Nolan reveals he was “originally hired” to direct ‘Troy’
Director Christopher Nolan has revealed that he was originally slated to direct the 2004 action epic, Troy.
Speaking in the new edition of Empire Magazine, the Oppenheimer director admitted: “I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct Troy.”
He continued, “Wolfgang [Petersen] had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [Batman Vs Superman], he wanted it back.”
Peterson went on to direct the Brad Pitt movie, which follows the events of the Trojan War. It grossed $497million, at the global box office; with an estimated budget of $175million, it was the 8th highest-grossing film of 2004.
It is a close full-circle moment that Nolan’s current project is the huge Odyssey, featuring a star-studded cast including the likes of Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Elliot Page, Charlize Theron, and many more.
As such, his early entanglement in Troy meant that this type of world has been close to his heart throughout his career.
He told Empire, via World of Reel, “At the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore. So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time.”
Nolan shared, “Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.” Meanwhile, in the same interview, Damon also spoke about the film, stating that the upcoming Homeric epic is “exactly what you want of a summer movie”.
The actor then went on to say it “should be the most massively entertaining film”, before sharing, “Without hyperbole, that it was the best experience of my career.”
The Odyssey arrives in cinemas and IMAX in July 2026. Tickets for the first showings went on sale a year in advance of the theatrical event. Watch the original trailer for Troy below.
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