Christopher Nolan explains Travis Scott casting and why rap is important to ‘The Odyssey’ story
The rapper appeared in a teaser trailer for the forthcoming epic blockbuster earlier this year
by Damian Jones · NMEChristopher Nolan has explained why he cast rapper Travis Scott in his forthcoming movie The Odyssey.
The upcoming blockbuster, an adaptation of the epic Greek poem by Homer, sees Matt Damon lead an all-star cast telling the story of Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War.
Tom Holland also plays Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, while Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton and Mia Goth will also star.
But back in January in a teaser trailer for the movie, Holland’s Telemachus is seen interrupted by Scott, who silences a crowded hall and warns of impending war. “A war, a man, a trick – a trick to break the walls of Troy,” he announces, as the trailer teases images of the great Trojan War. “It burning, screaming to the ground.”
Now, Nolan has spoken about why he cast the rapper in a new interview with Time magazine.
“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,” the director said.
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It’s not the first collaboration between Scott and Nolan, who paired up back in 2020 when Scott recorded the track ‘The Plan’ for Nolan’s Tenet.
In an interview with GQ at the time Nolan heaped praise on the Grammy winning rapper.
“His voice became the final piece of a yearlong puzzle,” Nolan said. “His insights into the musical and narrative mechanism [composer] Ludwig Göransson and I were building were immediate, insightful and profound.”
Earlier this month, a full trailer for The Odyssey landed, showing epic action scenes and an all-star cast. You can view it above.
The film is set to be released on July 17, 2026, with tickets for some IMAX 70mm screenings, Nolan’s preferred format, having gone on sale 12 months in advance and selling out within an hour.