MOVIE NEWS – After the global success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan hasn’t slowed down—he’s already working on a new epic, The Odyssey. The first teaser only just dropped, but some fans are up in arms for the most unexpected reason: Jon Bernthal’s “American accent” in the role of Menelaus. Is the controversy really about dialect, or is there something deeper going on?

Christopher Nolan had a sizable following even before Oppenheimer, but his three-hour biopic about the father of the atomic bomb earned nearly a billion dollars and seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. For most directors, that would be a career peak—but Nolan isn’t one to rest on his laurels. Instead, he’s already moved on to something even more ambitious: adapting The Odyssey, one of the world’s greatest epic tales, with a quarter-billion-dollar budget and a cast packed with A-listers. Anticipation is so high that some opening night IMAX tickets sold out a year in advance. Fans clamored for a first look, which finally arrived as a teaser screened exclusively in theaters on July 1.

Many viewers were excited by the footage, but one detail in particular sparked debate: Jon Bernthal’s performance. Some complained that his line delivery was too modern and “American” for an ancient Greek epic. But for a director as precise as Christopher Nolan, every choice is intentional. Homer’s Odyssey is set around 1200 BCE, in the wake of the Trojan War, and fans initially wondered whether Nolan’s film would stay in the past or take a more modern approach. Previous adaptations have transplanted the plot to new eras, but the first official photo of Matt Damon in full Spartan armor suggested a period setting.

The brief teaser doesn’t reveal much—Damon’s Odysseus is barely visible. That’s intentional: Tom Holland’s Telemachus presses Bernthal’s character for news about his missing father, positioning Odysseus as a mythic figure while Telemachus drives the plot. Bernthal is likely playing King Menelaus, though he could also be Nestor; based on age and context, Menelaus seems the better fit. What stood out to many was how much Bernthal sounded like himself—more like a guest on The Bear than an ancient king. It wasn’t just him, either: Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson, both Brits, were using American accents, but Bernthal drew the most attention.

The American Accents Make Practical and Artistic Sense

There’s no one right way for actors to sound in a period film. Sometimes everyone uses their natural accent; other times, a formal British dialect is adopted for consistency. Some directors prefer actors to speak naturally, especially with a diverse cast, while others push for uniformity to signal “serious” historical drama. Nolan’s Odyssey is set in 1200 BCE, but the cast hails from all over the world—yet they all sound distinctly modern and American. This is no accident; it’s a conscious choice. Bernthal isn’t known for accent work, but he’s not the lead—Matt Damon is. Nolan and Damon worked together on Oppenheimer, and the director clearly wanted him for Odysseus. Damon, however, is infamous for his struggles with accents, with mixed results in films like The Great Wall, Invictus, and The Last Duel.

Maybe Nolan wanted his lead actor to feel comfortable, or maybe he believed a more authentic performance would come from Damon using his own voice. Perhaps the cast was encouraged to match Damon or Bernthal for unity, or maybe Nolan was making a statement: ancient Spartans didn’t speak British English, and no one really knows what they sounded like. Stiff British accents are a convention to make stories feel “old”—but perhaps Nolan wants his Odyssey to feel immediate and alive. Telling the story in a modern voice could highlight its timeless relevance instead of encasing it in artifice.

Out of context, Bernthal’s voice might sound odd if you’re expecting a traditional historical epic, but Nolan has never been one for convention. When The Odyssey opens on July 17, 2026, audiences will get to judge the approach for themselves—what’s certain is that every detail has been carefully considered.

Source: MovieWeb