Greek Prime Minister Congratulates Christopher Nolan On ‘The Odyssey’

After being publicly slammed by celebrated classicist Emily Wilson over his blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan may have taken comfort from a video-call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis this week.

An image and note released in Greek only by the prime minister’s office suggested it was a cordial affair.

“During the video call, the Prime Minister congratulated the British filmmaker on bringing the Homeric epic poem to the big screen and thanked him for the film’s contribution to boosting global interest in ancient Greek culture, adding that such productions bridge Greece‘s rich cultural heritage with contemporary creativity,” read the office’s note.

Mitsotakis also commented on the film’s box office success and expressed his appreciation that “a significant portion” of the filming was done in Greece.

The meeting came just one day after Wilson, whose 2017  translation of ‘The Odyssey’ was cited as an influence by Nolan, dropped a scathing review of the ‘London Review of Books‘ in she declared she “would be ashamed to have written any part of the script.”  

The arduous, three-month shoot for The Odyssey, set down in Greece’s Peloponnese region in the spring of 2025, filming in landmark sites such as Nestor’s Cave, Voidokilia Beach, Almyrolaka Beach, Methoni Castle, and Acrocorinth.

The $250 million production also tapped into Greece’s 40% film cash rebate to the tune of €6.4 million ($7.2 million), while the country’s Ministry of Culture helped with access to the heritage sites, while guarding over their preservation.

After some initial pushback over the absence of Greek actors in the production, Nolan’s The Odyssey has had a broadly positive reception in Greece, with locals appreciating the way the film has revived interest in the Greek classics as well as the country’s culture and language.

As of July 29, the film had generated 408,758 cinema admissions over two weeks across three hundred cinemas, against 252,640 admissions for its nearest box office rival Toy Story 5 which has been in cinemas for six weeks.