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He may be adapting one of the oldest recorded stories in his next film, but director Christopher Nolan tells The New York Times that it will be new ideas that will save the film industry.
Speaking with the paper about the overall health of the industry, he says studios should take more risks with their blockbusters because audiences are smart and quick to dismiss those who play it safe:
“If you’re really interested in movies and the history of movies, the one thing you see absolutely is that you have to take risks to succeed. The biggest risk of all is to play it safe. That’s what, consistently in mainstream movies, doesn’t work. The audience is looking for something new.
The risk is the intermediaries – the financiers, the studio. If you can get to the audience – I mean, I’m not making any predictions for [‘The Odyssey’], but in the past we’ve been well rewarded for having faith in the audience.”
Nolan explained that when he was pitching his 2000 classic “Memento,” his wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, was concerned the filmi’s iconic reverse-chronology structure was a huge risk.
He argued that taking formal risks makes films distinctive and have something new to offer. Nolan is well known for playing with structure and timelines in his films.
One advantage he has is that despite how well known it is, and how dozens of film and TV works have adapted elements of the story over the years, there’ve have actually been only three ancient period-set direct adaptations of “The Odyssey” – 1954’s “Ulysses” starring Kirk Douglas which compressed the story, the 1997 mini-series starring Armand Assante which is arguably the most loyal adaptation to date, and 2014’s “The Return” starring Ralph Fiennes – though it only adapted the final chapters of the work.
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