Christopher Nolan's new film adaptation of Homer's *The Odyssey*, starring Matt Damon, has vastly exceeded box-office expectations on its opening weekend, and the surge of interest has spilled over into renewed streaming popularity for 2004's *Troy*, another film drawn from the same source material. The knock-on effect highlights how a high-profile blockbuster can revive interest in earlier adaptations of the same story, boosting older titles long after their cinematic release. It also underscores Nolan's long association with the material, given he was originally attached to direct a big-budget Trojan War film himself before circumstances led him elsewhere.

*The Odyssey*, Nolan's most expensive production to date, reportedly cost around $250 million, matching the budget of his earlier film *The Dark Knight Rises*. Nolan had almost directed *Troy* in the early 2000s but was forced to withdraw, subsequently landing the job directing *Batman Begins*, which launched his run of acclaimed blockbusters. *Troy*, directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by future *Game of Thrones* creator David Benioff, starred Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox and Sean Bean, with Bean playing Odysseus, the role now taken by Damon in Nolan's version.