More than that, if I happen to post on the Politics board, it is more like an ET poster going over there, not the other way around.

Nolan is the greatest director of his generation. It's fair to speculate on his casting choices, but he has earned the right to cast who he thinks is best for individual roles.

Is it possible he cast Lupita as an attempt to redefine what we consider beauty? Yes it is possible, and popular culture has always been a tool used alternately to either reaffirm or challenge the status quo. It's an interesting question to ponder. I personally don't think it will make a material difference to my enjoyment of the movie unless when I see it she is unable to convincingly play the role.

Redefine what we consider beauty? That is some of the wokest BS I have read on this thread so far. Trying to go against millions of years of biology/evolution for what's considered an attractive mate is really what the woke-mob is all about.

Thunderstruck xx said:

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Redefine what we consider beauty? That is some of the wokest BS I have read on this thread so far. Trying to go against millions of years of biology/evolution for what's considered an attractive mate is really what the woke-mob is all about.

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Remember just a few years ago when they were trying to rebrand "beauty" by pushing a bunch of morbidly obese women like Lizzo as the new face of beauty? I wonder why that is no longer a thing?



Thread related, as I think we can all at least be glad that Lupita is in very good shape and pretty attractive overall.

Is it possible he did it to virtue signal and try to rake in awards that otherwise would be denied?

Come on, people.

The awards thing has been killed....several times.

This thread sucks...

I have another perspective that I thought of...

Nolan is a Brit, and their relationship with race is VERY different than it is here in the US. Now he has been in the US for a while, so no doubt he is aware of the ongoing conversations/controversies, so he can't be excused from that entirely. But, even so, to try and map our US race relationship onto someone who grew up and was educated in a completely different racial context is complicated.

MSFC Aggie said:

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This thread sucks...

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You shouldn't post your opinion on a thread until you've read it in its entirety.

I'm gonna start with female beauty not having Landon Donovan's hairline.

70 pages *clap clap clap clap clap* 70 pages *clap clap clap clap clap*

(I missed it.)

But we've gotta hit 80 by the weekend, and 90 before opening at this point, right???

Cliff.Booth said:

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Is it possible he did it to virtue signal and try to rake in awards that otherwise would be denied?

Come on, people.

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This has been denied, and the Academy rules have been explained, at minimum a dozen times in this thread if not far more, especially as of late. While multiple extensive conversations have spawned from those mentions that I'm certain you've seen, considering how much you're in this thread.

To be clear, every Best Picture winner in history would have qualified under the Academy's current/arbitrary rules, including Oppenheimer, which had only one black cast member in one minor scene.

Just more proof you're a disingenuous troll here to spread bull**** negativity and nothing more.

What needs to happen to this thread now

Madmarttigan said:

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What needs to happen to this thread now

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Pretty sure staff has bets on the over/under of pages this thread goes along with several prop bets for posters. It's the only explanation.

Well, I believe that Staff veryfuller... has authority here.

No one on staff cares about this thread but me lol

And I've been contributing to the entertainment board for 8 years now...so its not like I just popped up in this thread.

AggieEP said:

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Nolan is the greatest director of his generation. It's fair to speculate on his casting choices, but he has earned the right to cast who he thinks is best for individual roles.

Is it possible he cast Lupita as an attempt to redefine what we consider beauty? Yes it is possible, and popular culture has always been a tool used alternately to either reaffirm or challenge the status quo. It's an interesting question to ponder. I personally don't think it will make a material difference to my enjoyment of the movie unless when I see it she is unable to convincingly play the role.

---

To move this conversation between the two of us into a discussion about the actual film...

There has been enough interviews with the actresses and early reviews to confirm that one of the ways Nolan has reshaped the story to tell his version is to make the female character's roles and voices more prominant, redefine their motivations, and (I believe, though I could be wrong on this) flat out tell the story through their POV at times. In addition, some of the actresses assert that the original version (or at least the standard translations) either limited the female roles or portrayed women in unflattering male-dominated ways. They insist that Nolan's version modernizes the female characters and perspectives in the story by empowering them to be a more dominant force in the story. That matches Nolan's own words - that he wanted an emotional and diverse version that reflects how he views our modern world.

I think that's why he cast Nyong'o. I don't think he was trying to check any quota boxes for DEI or an Oscar. I think that's a response only if looking at the issue superficially. I think he chose her because 1) she's a good actress, but more importantly 2) a black actress in this role is the ultimate way for him to express his vision of reshaping The Odyssey to his perspective of the modern world.

Are there racists in the world? Of course, always will be, and they will target every skin color....black, white, brown, whatever. But most people being labeled racist in this controversy are actually criticizing Nolan taking ownership of the character motivations and intent of this classic story in order to reshape it (reshaperather than just retell) to fit what he thinks it should be. (And sure, to a lesser degree people are saying he could have at least picked someone more universally viewed as beautiful. I've said that myself).

Artists have been retelling and reinterpreting classic stories for centuries. On rare ocassions when they've decided to actually reshape a classic story's underlying message that's when controversy pops up. And it has in the past, just like it is right now. Its just an especially big deal now, with this movie, because 1) its ****ing Christopher Nolan, a premiere director who has the vision and clout to give us a prime authentic version yet he chose to go the opposite way, and 2) politics and race have been forced into entertainment, absolutely forced into entertainment, and this is the inevitable and intended result.

Me personally? I just wanted a cinematic retelling of The Odyssey that's as authentic as the worlds Eggers' recreates for his movies, and I'm irritated that I'm getting a ba***rdized version instead.

FL_Ag1998 said:

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AggieEP said:

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Nolan is the greatest director of his generation. It's fair to speculate on his casting choices, but he has earned the right to cast who he thinks is best for individual roles.

Is it possible he cast Lupita as an attempt to redefine what we consider beauty? Yes it is possible, and popular culture has always been a tool used alternately to either reaffirm or challenge the status quo. It's an interesting question to ponder. I personally don't think it will make a material difference to my enjoyment of the movie unless when I see it she is unable to convincingly play the role.

---

To move this conversation between the two of us into a discussion about the actual film...

There has been enough interviews with the actresses and early reviews to confirm that one of the ways Nolan has reshaped the story to tell his version is to make the female character's roles and voices more prominant, redefine their motivations, and (I believe, though I could be wrong on this) flat out tell the story through their POV at times. In addition, some of the actresses assert that the original version or at least the standard translations, either limited the female roles or portrayed women in unflattering male-dominated ways. But Nolan's version, they insist, modernizes the female characters and perspectives in the story by empowering them to be a more dominant force in the story. And that matches Nolan's own words that he wanted an emotional and diverse version that reflects how he views our modern world.

I think that's why he cast Nyong'o. I don't think he was trying to check any quota boxes for DEI or an Oscar. I think that's a response when looking at the issue superficially. I think he chose her because 1) she's a good actress, but more importantly 2) a black actress in this role is the ultimate way for him to express his vision of reshaping The Odyssey to his perspective of the modern world.

Are there racists in the world? Of course, always will be, and they will target every skin color....black, white, brown, whatever. But most people being labeled racist in this controversy are actually criticizing Nolan taking ownership of the character motivations and intent of this classic story in order to reshape it (shaperather than just retell) to fit what he thinks it should be. (And sure, to a lesser degree people are saying he could have at least picked someone more universally viewed as beautiful. I've said that myself).

Artists have been retelling and reinterpreting classic stories for centuries. On rare ocassions when they've decided to actually reshape a classic story's underlying message that's when controversy pops up. Its an especially big deal now, with this movie, because 1) its ****ing Christopher Nolan, a premiere director who has the vision and clout to give us a prime authentic version yet he chose to go the opposite way, and 2) politics and race have been forced into entertainment, absolutely forced into entertainment, and this is the inevitable and intended result.

Me personally? I just wanted a cinematic retelling of The Odyssey that's as authentic as the worlds Eggers' recreates for his movies, and I'm irritated that I'm getting a *******ized version instead.

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Yeah but have you considered that some obscure minor thing may or may not be accurate historically so really anything in the movie can be whatever and you should just not have an opinion about it? Have you considered that?

I think he cast Nyong'o because her character(s) are in like 2-3 scenes and he needed an actress who could make in impact in those scenes. Like casting Florence Pugh in Oppenheimer and Matt Damon in Intersteller. So perhaps the question is what type of acting is Nyong'o good at, and that will tell why he cast her in the movie.

Irrelevant, huh? https://t.co/S7tUh4iJZK pic.twitter.com/UpJ5QLGw8g

— Cyberpunk Dwarf (@CyberpunkDwarf) July 10, 2026

veryfuller said:

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I think he cast Nyong'o because her character(s) are in like 2-3 scenes and he needed an actress who could make in impact in those scenes. Like casting Florence Pugh in Oppenheimer and Matt Damon in Intersteller. So perhaps the question is what type of acting is Nyong'o good at, and that will tell why he cast her in the movie.

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Oh I think her ability played a role in her casting for sure. But there's too many other smoke signals about Nolan's intent with this movie for me to ignore her race. Somebody can correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm ninety nine percent sure Nolan himself has said he wanted to present a diversified world that reflects today.

I think that was TCTTS that said that.

JK. I don't really know.

FL_Ag1998 said:

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veryfuller said:

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I think he cast Nyong'o because her character(s) are in like 2-3 scenes and he needed an actress who could make in impact in those scenes. Like casting Florence Pugh in Oppenheimer and Matt Damon in Intersteller. So perhaps the question is what type of acting is Nyong'o good at, and that will tell why he cast her in the movie.

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Oh I think her ability played a role in her casting for sure. But there's too many other smoke signals about Nolan's intent with this movie for me to ignore her race. Somebody can correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm ninety nine percent sure Nolan himself has said he wanted to present a diversified world that reflects today.

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I thought that was in context of the language for the movie. I think he did mention wanting to tell it in a fresh and modern way though so maybe that's the reasoning for the trailers showing dialogue such as "let's go", and "dad".

He did mention wanting big names for the movie since the characters carry a lot of weight, but I don't think he ever mentioned any form of the term "diversity".

He didn't use the word "diversified" - I think he used "modern" instead - but same difference, basically. One of the early reactions loosely compared it to Hamilton in that way - a more "modern" cast, speaking modern-ish English, with costuming that has a slightly more modern look at times than we might expect.

I realize that's a turnoff to some, and I completely understand why, but it's the route Nolan chose. Not because of "DEI" or Oscars or whatever, but because he felt that was the best way to connect to modern, movie-going audiences in the year 2026. We'll see if his gamble pays off or not, but based on reactions so far, it sounds like it has.

Looks like Universal is paying off folks in Mumbai as well…

A review from someone who saw The Odyssey at the Mumbai premiere. pic.twitter.com/7CxQulxfa7

— Christopher Nolan Archives (@NolanAnalyst) July 10, 2026

#TheOdyssey is a staggering experience. Christopher Nolan anchors the spectacular visuals in rich emotion. I wasn't expecting to cry so much. This 3000-year-old story with gods, goddesses, witches and creatures speaks eloquently to our current time. Can't wait to see it again.

— Anupama Chopra (@anupamachopra) July 10, 2026

Christopher Nolan says that not owning a smartphone keeps him from going online to “debunk rumors, argue with haters, or respond to gossip” including the rumor that he was directing a Blue Thunder remake. He says he was “bewildered” when he first heard it.

“I have absolutely no… pic.twitter.com/kWoHxo1iJa

— Christopher Nolan Archives (@NolanAnalyst) July 10, 2026

This is the state of The Odyssey presales for the movie, one week out.

The VAST majority of the sales are going to IMAX, with very little going to standard screens. Even at this juncture, all the seats by now should be sold out in IMAX for the "prestige" that this movie has.… pic.twitter.com/PsNU1WwN2u

— Emerald Apple (@AI_EmeraldApple) July 10, 2026

TCTTS said:

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He didn't use the word "diversified" - I think he used "modern" instead - but same difference, basically. One of the early reactions loosely compared it to Hamilton in that way - a more "modern" cast, speaking modern-ish English, with costuming that has a slightly more modern look at times than we might expect.

I realize that's a turnoff to some, and I completely understand why, but it's the route Nolan chose. Not because of "DEI" or Oscars or whatever, but because he felt that was the best way to connect to modern, movie-going audiences in the year 2026. We'll see if his gamble pays off or not, but based on reactions so far, it sounds like it has.

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Ah, ok, I though he specifically said diversified as well as modern, but maybe it was just the logical assumption that by modern he meant diversified. He likely did mean "diversified", it would only make sense to have a diverse cast if wanting to represent the entire modern world (and lure more people into the theater).

TCTTS said:

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He didn't use the word "diversified" - I think he used "modern" instead - but same difference, basically. One of the early reactions loosely compared it to Hamilton in that way - a more "modern" cast, speaking modern-ish English, with costuming that has a slightly more modern look at times than we might expect.

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The Hamilton comparison actually seems to be a good one.The diverse cast and modern language which TCTTS mentioned, but also the use of hip-hop in a historical setting. While it's not my cuppa, Hamilton has obviously done extremely well (to say the least).

The million dollar question will be if those same changes will be as successful with a theater-going audience as they were with the audience who enjoys musicals. How much overlap is there really among those 2 groups?

Christopher Nolan has dedicated “The Odyssey” to David Keighley, Imax’s first chief quality officer and a pioneer of large-format cinema, who died after a battle with cancer last year:

“David passed sadly right after we finished critical photography on this film, and after we… pic.twitter.com/8Ga1XrT4fb

— Variety (@Variety) July 10, 2026

TCTTS said:

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Looks like Universal is paying off folks in Mumbai as well…

A review from someone who saw The Odyssey at the Mumbai premiere. pic.twitter.com/7CxQulxfa7

— Christopher Nolan Archives (@NolanAnalyst) July 10, 2026

#TheOdyssey is a staggering experience. Christopher Nolan anchors the spectacular visuals in rich emotion. I wasn't expecting to cry so much. This 3000-year-old story with gods, goddesses, witches and creatures speaks eloquently to our current time. Can't wait to see it again.

— Anupama Chopra (@anupamachopra) July 10, 2026

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Sure, but there's still no way it'll be better than RRR!

Honestly relatable.

No wonder odysseus couldn't wait to leave calypso and get back to penelope pic.twitter.com/Wj9sq02OXc

— Mr Melancholy (@chakravartiiin) July 10, 2026

TCTTS said:

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Christopher Nolan says that not owning a smartphone keeps him from going online to “debunk rumors, argue with haters, or respond to gossip” including the rumor that he was directing a Blue Thunder remake. He says he was “bewildered” when he first heard it.

“I have absolutely no… pic.twitter.com/kWoHxo1iJa

— Christopher Nolan Archives (@NolanAnalyst) July 10, 2026

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Well I liked Blue Thunder better as a movie, but Airwolf was must-watch TV every week. So yeah, Mr. Nolan, go ahead with that project....

agdoc2001 said:

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TCTTS said:

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He didn't use the word "diversified" - I think he used "modern" instead - but same difference, basically. One of the early reactions loosely compared it to Hamilton in that way - a more "modern" cast, speaking modern-ish English, with costuming that has a slightly more modern look at times than we might expect.

---

The Hamilton comparison actually seems to be a good one.The diverse cast and modern language which TCTTS mentioned, but also the use of hip-hop in a historical setting. While it's not my cuppa, Hamilton has obviously done extremely well (to say the least).

The million dollar question will be if those same changes will be as successful with a theater-going audience as they were with the audience who enjoys musicals. How much overlap is there really among those 2 groups?

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With that comparison in mind, it's also worth noting that a whole lot of people who wouldn't be the traditional "musicals" audience have gotten into Hamilton.