Christopher Nolan reveals that the special effects in ‘The Odyssey’ were “very inspired by Guillermo del Toro”
Christopher Nolan has already been lauded for creating a special effects revolution in The Odyssey, but he has now revealed that he credits this to Guillermo del Toro.
The upcoming blockbuster epic, set to be released in cinemas on July 17th as a massive movie adaptation of Homer’s Greek literature classic, has already made history as the first ever film to be shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
However, what has also been ramping up excitement about the film is the sheer scale of production, between the sprawling real-life locations and the special effects, created fully by humans with no CGI used.
Nolan has been receiving lavish praise for this feat, as well as for the film as a whole, after its global premiere in London on July 6th, but has now revealed in an interview with the LA Times that he has Del Toro to thank as a guide.
In reference to bringing the six-headed monster Scylla to life, the director told the publication, “I was very inspired by Guillermo del Toro. What I learned from him is that a monster is not a monster. You have to approach them the way you approach any other character.”
Del Toro was similarly praised for this aspect of production in his most recent film, Frankenstein, which picked up the awards for ‘Best Production Design’, ‘Best Makeup and Hairstyling’, and ‘Best Costume Design’ at this year’s Oscars.
In a related sense, to create the Cyclops Polyphemus, played by Bill Irwin, Nolan said he and his team used “puppetry, animatronics, robotics, but Bill was on the movie for a month. In addition to being a great actor, he’s a mime, a clown, he knows how to use his physicality. He was the essence of it.”
As a whole, the director described The Odyssey as a “very strong foundational text” in the context of the rest of his films, as he said, “I’ve been telling this story in all my films for years. It’s a family story, a love story, a revenge story, a war story, a coming-of-age story.”
With an estimated budget of a massive $250million, it is widely hoped and expected that The Odyssey will live up to the heights of Nolan’s previous film Oppenheimer, which grossed $976.8m at the box office.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.