It's official: Lupita Nyong'o is stepping into the role of Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. The 43-year-old actress will portray the mythical ancient Greek figure in the director's latest film, as confirmed in a Time magazine profile published on Tuesday, May 12th. This announcement comes months after rumors began swirling about Nyong'o's involvement in the film.
Time describes "several striking adaptation choices" Nolan, 55, has made to the ancient myth, based on the epic poem known as Homer's Odyssey. "The reunion between Odysseus' fellow king Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) and his wife Helen (Lupita Nyong'o) — the most beautiful woman in the world, blamed for starting the war after a Trojan prince spirited her away — has always felt too neatly resolved in the poem. Nolan complicates it," the piece reads.
Nolan also confirmed to Time that Nyong'o will portray a second character in the film. The Oscar winner will additionally play Helen's sister Clytemnestra, who marries the Greek hero Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) before Agamemnon leads the Greeks to war against Troy.
The Hollywood Reporter first confirmed that Nyong'o would star in The Odyssey back in November 2024. Although she has yet to appear in the two released trailers for the movie, internet sleuths began speculating that she would portray Helen in recent months. Helen of Troy is more commonly associated with Homer's The Iliad due to her role in the Trojan War, during which The Iliad takes place. She appears in Homer's Odyssey in one scene with the character Telemachus.
The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as its title character Odysseus, a hero of the Trojan War who is lost for 10 years as he attempts to return to his home and kingdom on the island of Ithaca following the war's end. Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, while Anne Hathaway is Odysseus' wife Penelope. Other stars include Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, and Zendaya. Zendaya, 29, portrays the goddess Athena in the movie, while Theron, 50, plays the nymph Calypso; Pattinson, 39, portrays Antinous, the leader of a group of suitors who seek Penelope's hand in marriage on Ithaca with Odysseus presumed dead.
In the Time profile, Nolan also confirmed that rapper Travis Scott will appear in the movie as a bard. Scott previously collaborated with Nolan on his 2020 movie Tenet, for which he wrote the song "The Plan." "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," Nolan said of the casting.
The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17th.
