Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film is one of the most eagerly anticipated offerings of 2026.
The iconic director is taking on Greek mythology in The Odyssey, with Matt Damon playing
Odysseus.
The epic is currently planned as a standalone picture, but there’s a chance that it could spark a
wider franchise if it is popular. In the modern age, it’s all the rage for films to spread out into
games and spinoff series, and there may be calls for this to happen with The Odyssey.
Ancient Greek Mythology is Hugely Popular in Entertainment
One of the main reasons why The Odyssey could potentially spawn a wider franchise is down
to the sheer popularity of ancient Greek mythology in other areas of entertainment. There
haven’t been that many films that have used these themes in recent years, but there have been
various series and games.
On television, the BBC and Netflix showcased Troy, and more recently, there was Kaos. Both of these featured plenty of Greek gods and were met with approval from viewers. In gaming, Greek mythology is even more prominent. For instance, the God of War series is one of the most popular game franchises ever. There are numerous video slots featuring Greek mythology too, with the Age of the Gods series among the most played in the industry.
With all of these titles already popular, it suggests that there would be a huge audience for any spinoffs of Nolan’s upcoming picture. In the same way that Ridley Scott’s Gladiator spawned countless related offerings, this new one from the Batman Begins director could do the same. After all, the Roman-themed offering was always planned as a standalone film too, but it was far too successful to remain as that.
The Odyssey Will Introduce Plenty of Characters Worthy of Further Exploration
Another thing that makes The Odyssey a prime contender for the franchise treatment is the fact that it will feature countless iconic characters from Greek mythology, all played by some of the finest actors in the business.
For instance, Zendaya is playing Athena, Charlize Theron will be Circe, and Tom Holland is taking on the role of Telemachus. Any of these characters would be worthy of further exploration in related material, such as television spinoffs or games.
The Odyssey will also feature some incredible settings, such as the island of Calypso, on which Odysseus spent seven years. It would be interesting to get more details about the history of such settings in spinoffs.
Franchise expansion is one of the most common strategies in today’s entertainment market, and it may make sense for the Odyssey to go down this route. It could take a leaf out of the book of Game of Thrones, which now has various spinoffs exploring different periods of Westerosi history.
Nolan hasn’t stated that he plans to turn The Odyssey into a wider franchise, but he may be pressured to if the film is a success. There’s so much potential to expand into different media, and it may feel like a missed opportunity if this isn’t done.
