Nolan's 'Odyssey' Film Uses Greek Name Odysseus, Italian Dubbing Sticks with Ulisse

Christopher Nolan's upcoming film 'The Odyssey', based on Homer's epic poem, will use the Greek name 'Odysseus' in its original English version, while the Italian dubbing and subtitles will use 'Ulisse'. This philological choice by Nolan and his team aims to present the film as a contemporary adaptation of the Homeric poem, avoiding associations with literary works like James Joyce's 'Ulysses'. The article explains the historical and linguistic reasons behind the two names: 'Ulisse' derives from the Latin 'Ulixes', used by Roman poets like Virgil and later by Dante Alighieri, who made the character famous in Western literature. In contrast, 'Odysseus' is the original Greek name from Homer's epic, used in modern philological translations. The film is set for release on July 16, 2026. The article also discusses pronunciation differences in Italian ('Odissèo' vs 'Odìsseo') and notes that the name 'Odysseus' was opaque in ancient Greek, leading to variants like 'Olyseus' with an 'L'. Nolan cited Emily Wilson's 2017 English translation of the Odyssey, which uses 'Odysseus', as inspiration.