The Odyssey helmer Christopher Nolan almost ended up directing Troy; says he "was originally hired by Warner Bros."

Christopher Nolan is known for making films like The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Oppenheimer, among others. Nolan is currently working on his forthcoming period epic The Odyssey, which is slated to be released next year.

Recently, the director spoke about the time when he was offered to direct Troy. He said,

"I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct ‘Troy."

Although Nolan was roped in first, Troy was eventually helmed by German director Wolfgang Petersen, and it came out in 2004.

Let's find out why Nolan did not end up directing it and instead worked on Batman Begins, which was his first partnership with Warner Bros.

Christopher Nolan was offered to direct Troy

Christopher Nolan recently spoke to Empire Magazine, where he revealed how he nearly directed the epic historical action film Troy. Nearly 20 years ago, the director was hired by Warner Bros. to direct the above-mentioned film. He said,

“I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct ‘Troy.’ Wolfgang [Petersen] had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [‘Batman Vs Superman’], he wanted it back. At the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore."

Nolan further said that this experience has been on his mind, which he used to create the Trojan horse sequence in The Odyssey.

"So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that.”

Wolfgang Petersen was planning to give his own spin to the Batman story for Warner Bros. The studio had offered Troy to Nolan, who had directed Memento and Insomnia by that time. WB eventually gave Troy to Petersen, while Nolan was given Batman Begins as a “consolation prize.”

Troy starred Brad Pitt and Eric Bana and ended up earning around $500 million after its 2004 release. Christopher Nolan's Batman film came out the next year and launched a popular trilogy.

He is currently working on The Odyssey, which he has also written. It's based on Homer's namesake ancient Greek epic and is slated to release on July 17, 2026, by Universal Pictures. The film stars Matt Damon (as Odysseus), Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron, among others.

In 2024, Nolan's directorial venture, Oppenheimer, earned him a Best Director Oscar.