The Problem That's Plagued Every Greek Myth Adaptation (& How The Odyssey Can Avoid It)

The Odyssey (2026) is set to be one of the year’s biggest films. Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to the Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer (2023) is an adaptation of the classic Greek myth, with Matt Damon starring as Odysseus in the aftermath of the Trojan War. The trailers have leaned heavily into the atmosphere and scope of the film, highlighting the massive scale of the battles and the supernatural elements of the world. That’s something it has in common with plenty of other adaptations of Greek mythology.

Hopefully, that’s all it has in common. There’s long been a challenge that many adaptations of Greek mythology and history have struggled with, which comes down to the way modern narrative structure differs from the ancient Greek mythology that has endured for thousands of years. It’s something that has resulted in plenty of other Greek mythology adaptations suffering from the same problem that The Odyssey can hopefully avoid altogether.

Greek Myths Are Fables, Not Narratives

Historically, cinematic adaptations of Greek mythology have struggled in their depiction of the main characters. The challenge is that Greek myths are not necessarily narratives with full arcs. Instead, at their very core, they are more akin to fables than stories. Many myths, especially those focused on humans, give them a place in the world and challenge it with an encounter with the supernatural. Then, they are either rewarded for their triumph or (more often than not) suffer for their hubris. 

In most narratives, learning the lesson is only part of the tale. Films like Star Wars (1977), The Lion King (1994), and The Avengers (2012) see the heroes have flaws or hang-ups, confront them, and then force them to overcome it for a satisfying ending. In many Greek myths, the ending comes with a lesson. As a result, straight adaptations of Greek mythology often have to work with what they have or completely reinvent their characters—like Disney’s Hercules (1997) and Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)—around more familiar modern storytelling tropes. When the movie is more focused on trying to adapt the mature potential of Greek mythology and history, it tends to struggle.

Greek Myth Adaptations Have a Main Character Problem

This is a problem that’s been around for a while, with plenty of adaptations of Greek myths failing to deliver compelling central characters. For as long as these stories have been getting adapted for the big screen, the filmmakers have largely focused on the spectacle over the soul of the story. Rory Calhoun's Darios in The Colossus of Rhodes (1961) and Harry Hamlin's Perseus in Clash of the Titans (1981) are basically empty vessels for the audience to follow the story through, with Perseus feeling like a very broad attempt to mimic the archetype of the reluctant hero that Luke Skywalker had codified in that era. 

Henry Cavill’s Theseus in Immortals (2011), Sam Worthington's Perseus in Clash of the Titans (2010), and Dwayne Johnson’s Hercules in Hercules (2014) are likewise fairly one-note and largely there to serve as an excuse to have some big action set-pieces. Brad Pitt’s turn as Achilles in Troy (2004) is an attempt to infuse the character with more thematic weight, but—as with most of the rest of the film—the limited nature of the characters left the actors with little depth to play with. Midday Reviews highlights how the film’s focus on blockbuster action took away from the more personal approach Pitt had been hoping for with the character. Funnily enough, it’s performances like Gerald Butler in 300 (2007), an over-the-top and memorably ridiculous turn, that fits the mythic scope and doesn’t fall apart.

How ‘The Odyssey’ Could Avoid the Problem With Adapting Myths

One of the things that should give audiences hope that The Odyssey can avoid this pitfall is the way the source material genuinely spends time with the protagonist and naturally charts his moral arc instead of just having stuff happen to them. Odysseus’ journey is rooted in his growth, which reflects on the moral cost of soldiers, the responsibilities of a father and husband, weighed against his position as king. He’s clever but boisterous, solving problems but causing just as many—at least until he recognizes the cost of hubris. It’s the kind of character Nolan has explored before, while also working in a more traditional narrative story. Take The Return (2024), which was a feature-length adaptation of the final stretch of The Odyssey.

Ralph Fiennes played a haggard version of Odysseus, haunted by his actions in the Trojan War and heartbroken over the cost of returning home to Ithaca. Todd Armstrong's Jason from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is another good example. Although he lacks the depth of Odysseus, Armstrong’s barrel-chested hero benefits from being based on a myth that follows a fairly linear adventure story—allowing the focus to remain firmly on him. Rather than just being a myth that the creators need to try and infuse humanity into, The Odyssey is a painfully human story of a brilliant but flawed man raging against the Gods. It has an actual character arc at the center of the story, something not every Greek myth adaptation shares.