Odysseus In Search of An Odyssey

One of my favourite heroes of literature and by far my favourite character in the Iliad is Odysseus. I first encountered him in some TVO production of the Odyssey that I saw on TVO in the late 70s, then in D&D first edition’s Deities and Demigods. I have to admit, that by the time I actually rolled around to reading the Iliad and the Odyssey, back in university, I was predisposed to digging the guy who was all about cunning and guile when everyone else seemed passionately in love with brute force.

I was thrilled when Sean Bean got the role in the lukewarm Troy, and while he didn’t get enough to do in that movie, he was my favourite part of it. Kind of a no-brainer, given I’m also a big Sean Bean fan back to Patriot Games.

Now Hollywood is going to give us the Odyssey, but without the actual Odyssey. Instead of a bunch of lazy and conniving suitors, we have an invading force? Meh. So far, you’ve totally unsold me on something I would have bought just on brand name alone.

“A movie about Odysseus? Fuck yeah, I’m going!” Except now it’s “A movie about Odysseus? Fuck yeah, this’ll suck.”

I wish I could say I’m shocked, shocked to hear that Hollywood is incapable of bringing a literary classic to the screen without a thorough anal rape. I’m not.

Am I going to be the one to tell Odysseus that there is no reach around?