Christopher Nolan brings The Odyssey to Seoul, invites Korean audiences into epic voyage

Christopher Nolan arrived in Seoul on 3 August to promote The Odyssey, his ambitious retelling of Homer's ancient epic. During a press conference, the filmmaker stressed why he travelled to South Korea specifically with this film, citing the country's deep connection to his previous work and the theatrical experience the film demands.

"What I am really hoping Korean audiences will get from it is a sense of adventure and entertainment and emotional engagement," Nolan told reporters, according to Yonhap News Agency. The film, shot entirely on IMAX cameras, follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he navigates his perilous homecoming after the Trojan War, with a cast including Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron and Zendaya.

Nolan has cultivated a devoted following in South Korea through earlier releases including Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014) and Dunkirk (2017). He acknowledged that Interstellar resonated particularly strongly with Korean audiences, though a planned visit to promote Tenet (2020) was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. "It is a strange thing to have made a film and have people in another part of the world respond to your film, and then finally get to visit," he said.

The director emphasised cinema's singular capacity to deliver immersion. "We want the audience to feel that they are on the deck of the ship with him and that they're climbing mountains with him or going into the Cyclops cave with him," Nolan explained. He contrasted the theatrical experience—shared with others on a large screen—against the fragmented nature of other media formats.

Producer Emma Thomas, who accompanied Nolan alongside stars Damon and Theron, highlighted how the film's themes transcend geography. "The Odyssey is very much a story about a human being and the things that matter to us as human beings. That is something that is common to me as an English person who lives in America, it's common to people in Korea, it's common to people in France," she said. Both Damon and Theron expressed anticipation for Korean audience reception, with Damon noting the film's thematic richness would likely resonate differently depending on viewers' life circumstances.

Nolan also found time during his visit to explore Seoul, describing it as a "marvelous city" and praising its salt bread as "extraordinary." The Odyssey released in South Korea on 4 August.