Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Has A Very Cool Interstellar Connection Most Fans Won't Notice

Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" will serve as a big reunion for the filmmaker. Indeed, he's amassed both a star-studded cast and a murderer's row of behind the scenes collaborators from the last 20 years of his career for his adaptation of Homer's epic poem. Their ranks include Anne Hathaway, who previously worked with Nolan on "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Interstellar," as well as "Inception" co-star Elliot Page and "Oppenheimer" veteran Matt Damon (who also made a somewhat infamous cameo in "Interstellar").

However, "The Odyssey" has yet another connection to a fan favorite Nolan movie that most folks probably won't notice. No, not composer Ludwig Göransson, although he is reuniting with Nolan for the third time here after providing the music for "Tenet" and "Oppenheimer" as well.

Per an article from Time, the "performance" of the mythical cyclops in "The Odyssey" was guided by none other than Bill Irwin. If that name sounds familiar to "Interstellar" fans, it's because Irwin not only voiced but even puppeted the best character in that movie — TARS.

Remember TARS? The sarcastic, boxy robot that assists the movie's astronauts is easily one of the highlights of "Interstellar." What's more, its design is quite unique and adds to the film's aesthetic, its jokes are legitimately funny, and it's a marvel to behold in general. Now, Nolan has brought Irwin back for what looks to be another scene-stealing turn. And just like he did with TARS in "Interstellar," the actor will do his part to make the cyclops feel as tactile and real as humanly possible.

Just like in Homer's poem, Odysseus (Matt Damon) will encounter the cyclops, sea monsters, and a sorceress that transforms men into animals in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey." According to Time, though, the movie's fantastical creatures have all been "rendered with minimal CGI and maximum ambition" as well.

While that's far from surprising, given Nolan's reputation for preferring practical effects, it's still interesting to see that he's retaining that approach here. For one, it sounds like the film will carry over a lot of the fantasy aspects of its source material. The latest "Odyssey" trailer even offers a sneak peek at the cyclops (among other things), although it's not enough to properly tell how the character will look in action. Then again, considering Bill Irwin  controlled an actual, life-sized TARS puppet for "Interstellar," then it's possible he did something similar with the cyclops in "The Odyssey."

But how? Is Nolan going to go full Ray Harryhausen and make literal stop-motion puppets appear giant using forced perspective? Probably not, but it does seem like he's trying to do the next best thing. In a separate, earlier interview, Nolan explained why he decided to adapt "The Odyssey," citing his desire to make a Harryhausen-style "big Hollywood, IMAX production" with "an A-budget." As such, it appears this could prove to be the wildest and boldest swing the filmmaker has ever taken.

Come on, Nolan: Give us the multi-million dollar version of what Ray Harryhausen would do. Let Irwin operate a life-size giant cyclops puppet that chases Matt Damon around, and may it all gross a billion dollars at the box office. It's what Hollywood needs.

"The Odyssey" opens in theaters on July 17, 2026.