Following the record-breaking box office success of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, streaming audiences have renewed their interest in ancient Greek mythology on screen, with the 2004 film Troy re-emerging as a popular alternative. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom, Troy is currently the second most-streamed film on Apple TV, suggesting viewers are keen to stay immersed in the world of Homeric legend even after leaving cinemas.

Troy, which adapts Homer's Iliad, focuses on Achilles' pursuit of glory and mortality rather than on Odysseus, making it a thematic companion piece to Nolan's film and a natural lead-in to its story. Although the film received mixed reviews on release for its liberties with the source material and sprawling narrative, the article argues these qualities now feel refreshing, particularly the nuanced rivalry between Pitt's Achilles and Eric Bana's Hector, which culminates in a duel outside Troy's walls following the death of Achilles' cousin Patroclus.