Christopher Nolan assembled a notable ensemble for his film adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, recruiting established collaborators Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway to portray the titular hero and his wife. For the role of their son Telemachus, Nolan selected Tom Holland, marking a new partnership between the director and the Spider-Man actor. In an upcoming behind-the-scenes book about the production, Nolan justified this choice by highlighting Holland's capacity to convey both youthful optimism and mature complexity, noting the actor's suitability for the part at this stage of his career.

The director also credited Holland's technical abilities developed through his work in action-heavy superhero films, particularly his proficiency with choreography and responsive direction during combat sequences. Notably, despite casting Holland for his action credentials, Nolan redesigned the plot so that Telemachus avoids substantial participation in the story's climactic battle. Holland himself characterises the role as a coming-of-age narrative centred on a young man's journey toward manhood, his quest to reunite with his father, and his duty to safeguard his mother.