Christopher Nolan says 'The Odyssey' runtime shorter than 'Oppenheimer'

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan has confirmed that his upcoming film 'The Odyssey' will have a shorter runtime than his Oscar-winning film, 'Oppenheimer', Variety reported

In an interview, Nolan said, "It's an epic film, as the subject matter demands. But it is shorter."



'Oppenheimer', a biographical drama based on J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II, had a runtime of 180 minutes and went on to earn about USD 975 million at the worldwide box office despite its length and R rating.

Nolan's new project is backed by Universal Pictures and marks his adaptation of Homer's Greek epic. The film is expected to be mounted on a large scale, with the director acknowledging the expectations surrounding it.

"There's a massive amount of pressure," Nolan said. "Anyone taking on 'The Odyssey' is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere, and that comes with a huge responsibility," according to Variety.

Reflecting on his approach, he added, "What I learned from [making 'The Dark Knight' trilogy] is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation. They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it. I really tried to make the best film possible."

The film features an ensemble cast led by Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as his son Telemachus. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal.

Nolan earlier shared that he "shot over 2 million feet of film" during the production, which took place over 91 days.

"As a filmmaker, you're looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven't been done before," Nolan said. "And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with Ray Harryhausen movies and other things - I'd never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do," according to Variety.

The Odyssey is also set to be the first Hollywood feature film shot entirely with IMAX cameras. A new IMAX camera casing, known as a "blimp," was developed for the project to reduce noise and allow clearer recording of dialogue scenes, according to Variety.

The exact runtime and rating of the film have not yet been revealed. The Odyssey is scheduled to release in theatres on July 17.




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