The director stated that the narrative had not been addressed on a grand cinematic scale since the low-budget stop-motion work of Ray Harryhausen.
"That world felt like it hadn't been addressed," said Nolan.
"Ray Harryhausen did it working on a shoestring, but the opportunity to take this on — on a big scale — was there, and it hadn't been there before."
Nolan wrote the screenplay using colloquial and contemporary dialogue to establish an emotional connection with contemporary viewers rather than utilizing artificially elevated speech.
"Homer was the co-writer, a very good co-writer," joked Nolan.
The director stated that re-reading the ancient text as a middle-aged man shifted his perspective toward themes of love, loss, and family.
"I wanted to tell it in a fresh and modern way, to make it as accessible for a modern audience as it was for Homer's," said Nolan.
Nolan realized that the foundational archetypes of the ancient story had already been present across his entire filmography for many years.
"But coming to the text again now, you have a slightly different perspective," said Nolan.
"It reads differently as a middle-aged man. It's more about love and loss, a middle-aged love story."
The director previously came close to the narrative material when he was considered to direct the 2004 movie "Troy," which was based on Homer's "The Iliad."
"I've been telling this story in all my films for years," said Nolan.
"It's a family story, a love story, a revenge story, a war story, a coming-of-age story. It's a very strong foundational text for me."
