Christopher Nolan on casting Travis Scott in The Odyssey and the film’s rap connection

Christopher Nolan has explained why Travis Scott appears in The Odyssey, his upcoming adaptation of Homer’s epic poem.

The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, with Tom Holland playing Telemachus, Odysseus’ son. The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton and Mia Goth.

Scott was introduced in a teaser trailer released in January, where Telemachus is interrupted by the rapper in a crowded hall. He warns of war, saying:

“A war, a man, a trick – a trick to break the walls of Troy,”

before adding,

“It burning, screaming to the ground.”

Speaking to Time, Nolan said the casting was intended to reflect the way the story has been passed down.

“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,”

the director said.

It is not the first time Nolan and Scott have worked together. In 2020, Scott recorded The Plan for Nolan’s Tenet.

At the time, Nolan praised the Grammy-winning rapper in an interview with GQ.

“His voice became the final piece of a yearlong puzzle,”

Nolan said.

“His insights into the musical and narrative mechanism [composer] Ludwig Göransson and I were building were immediate, insightful and profound.”

A full trailer for The Odyssey arrived earlier this month, showing the film’s large-scale action and ensemble cast. The movie is due out on July 17, 2026. Tickets for some IMAX 70mm screenings, Nolan’s preferred format, went on sale 12 months early and sold out within an hour.