Christopher Nolan Built a 60-Foot Contraption for ‘The Odyssey’ Cyclops Scene
When it comes to Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey, everyone’s out here talking about accents this, accents that. I get it. It’s weird. But I think we’re focusing on the wrong thing. Because what we should be talking about is the fact that the filmmaker is about to deliver the largest in scope take on Homer’s The Odyssey ever put to screen…in more ways than one.
Speaking with Empire, the director behind films like The Dark Knight and Inception teased just how massive his Odyssey is. “Everything about the Cyclops sequence is aimed at trying to imagine: what would this be like in real life? Not approaching it from a storybook or cartoony point of view, but really trying to be in there with Odysseus and his men. It’s a horrifying situation.”
So, how did Nolan accomplish such an enormous task? By creating a 60-foot contraption to bring the Cyclops to life through practical effects!
That’s right. What makes Nolan’s Odyssey so exciting is the fact that he’s aiming for the many monsters of the Greek myth to have an actual presence, as opposed to a bunch of hollow digital creations. Through puppetry and animatronics overseen by Bill Irwin–including the 60-foot Cyclops contraption–Nolan sounds as if he’s done just that.
Keep in mind, this is just what we know about the cyclops scene. We have yet to get a glimpse at all the other creatures that may appear in Nolan’s Odyssey, such as the Kraken. The mere fact that they built a towering cyclops through various methods should have fans feeling the utter awe and intimidation of what encountering such a creature would be like. And that is very, very exciting.
One of my favorite films growing up was Clash of the Titans, another film based on Greek mythology that acts as a showcase of Ray Harryhausen’s stunning stop-motion animation. It was a vital piece of my monster kid upbringing that helped establish my love for the world of creature features. Nolan’s film is going even bigger than that. And if it works, it could inspire a whole new generation of monster kids.
I don’t want to get too excited, but with the focus on practical effects, Nolan’s The Odyssey could be the Jurassic Park of Greek mythology movies in terms of scope, scale, and terror. If that’s the case, we’re in for a massive treat this summer. Weird choice of accents be damned.
Experience The Odyssey when the film smashes into theaters July 17, 2026, via Universal Pictures.
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