Times I felt I'd bitten off more than I could chew': Christopher Nolan on sweeping the Oscars, making The Odyssey - and getting a puppy

Christopher Nolan’s Oscars-scale “sweeping” ambitions around The Odyssey underscore how the director is approaching his biggest risk yet, while also sharing personal context tied to the film’s themes. Nolan spoke the day before the world premiere in London, describing the reported $250 million (£185 million) budget for the big-screen adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey in IMAX. He said he stays focused on audiences because there is “nothing to hide behind” once the film opens, and he frames his work as inherently tied to audience response. The article also links the story to his new chocolate Labrador puppy, Charlie, acquired with his wife Emma Thomas after their four children left home. Nolan described Charlie as part of the Odyssean “dog” connection, including a younger version of Odysseus’s hunting dog Argos shown in his trailer. The piece notes that Nolan’s previous film Oppenheimer won seven Oscars, and that The Odyssey was shot over six months across multiple countries.