After watching Troy (2004) and Dune (2021), I dream of Denis Villeneuve picking up where Troy left off, and directing The Odyssey with Sean Bean as Odysseus.

Currently reading The Odyssey right now, and this story is just begging for a big screen adaptation in Villeneuve’s style. Dune is the only film I’ve seen of Villeneuve’s, but the way he was able to tell a familiar story of family, politics and war, and weave in fantastic elements of sci-fi and fantasy (with sprinkles of real ancient culture inspiration from the books), just shows me he could put The Odyssey on the big screen with eye-popping visuals and sound design you can feel in your chest. Heck, Hans Zimmer could just use the same score from Dune for The Odyssey.

Wolfgang Peterson’s Troy (2004) made the questionable decision to remove Mythology from the story of the Iliad, and instead try for historical “accuracy.” Although classicists begrudged this choice, the story does lend itself for this to be done. The Iliad poem is mostly about the war, with various cutaways to the Gods squabbling over each side, and conversations here and there. The film does hint at the interference of the Gods in human affairs, which would be enough for us to carry into The Odyssey. For The Odyssey, real life mythology would need to come roaring back to the forefront. You could not tell the story without Cyclopes, witches, goddesses, monsters, the whole kit and caboodle. But Denis could tastefully weave in historical family drama with the crazy, out-there fantasy, and on a grand scale too. Because he did it with Dune.

The very best part about Troy (2004) is Sean Bean as Odysseus. He carries with him cleverness, wisdom, and a longing for hearth and home, not glory in battle and violence. That’s what The Odyssey is; a story about a world-weary man who just wants to go home to his family. Sean Bean should not be wasted as Odysseus and I believe he is still young enough to tackle the role again.

Maybe all I want is to see Sean Bean as Odysseus, looking forlornly at the horizon on a Greek ship, with the Dune soundtrack wailing in Dolby Atmos. Or Rebecca Ferguson as Calypso watching him leave. If that’s all I’d ever get, I’ll take it.

Submitted April 20, 2022 at 09:39PM by space-dentist https://ift.tt/t8ZWkCx