The Return captured the intensity of the last part of Homer’s Odyssey, in large part thanks to the portrayal of the Greek figure by Ralph Fiennes. As Odysseus, Fiennes was as fierce as any superhero in modern cinema while simultaneously demonstrating how love can be the ultimate motivator.
The Return wasn’t the first adaptation of a Homeric epic to big and small screens, but it differed from any previous attempts. Decades ago, Helen of Troy (1956), The Trojan Women (1971), and The Odyssey (1997) similarly tried — and failed — to do justice to the Homeric figures. Troy (2004) with Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, and others did present the Trojan War, albeit with a questionable amount of dedication to the Iliad.
The Return and Ralph Fiennes triumphed in its focus on Odysseus and tacit refusal to get lost in the larger story. This got me thinking — why not do more of this? Homer’s works are full of heroes and villains that could (and should) form an entire Homeric cinematic universe (HCU).
‘The Return’ Needs At Least One Prequel, If Not More
The Return tells the story of Odysseus’s arrival home after years away. During the time he was gone, Odysseus faced numerous challenges and adversaries, all of which could be part of a prequel to The Return based on Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus’s ingenuity and intelligence help him on every leg of his journey. The Journey would be a great title for the prequel, actually (you’re welcome, studios).
Akin to Tony Stark, perhaps, it was Odysseus who came up with the idea for the Trojan Horse. In the Odyssey, Odysseus recounts his adventures, starting with how he and his men raided the Cicones before coming across the Lotus-Eaters. After Odysseus’s men eat fruit that makes them forget their ultimate goal, the hero has to force them to leave, but this ends up putting them in the path of Polyphemeus, the cyclops, son of Poseidon, who eats several of Odysseus’s men.
Additional villains like the cannibalistic Laestrygonians, Scylla, and Charybdis threaten Odysseus, but his most fascinating adversary is the Sirens. When Odysseus decides to have himself tied to the mast of his ship so he can hear their song, it paints a mental image that needs to be recreated on screen. Just like Tony Stark is one to get himself into trouble, he finds his way out of it, too.
There’s also a love story of sorts in The Return’s prequel, and it involves Circe. Odysseus spends a significant amount of time with Circe, a powerful sorceress, and they even have at least one child together. Despite her efforts to keep Odysseus with her, Circe is unable to do so, a potentially gut-wrenching moment to see on screen. Not exactly akin to Tony Stark’s death in the MCU, but not too far off.
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Telemachus Deserves a Movie About His Experiences
Odysseus and Penelope’s son, Telemachus, does a lot to protect his mother, find his father, and keep things from descending completely into chaos. In the Odyssey, Athena helps Telemachus learn about his lineage, encouraging him to talk to individuals like Nestor, Peisistratus, Menelaus, and Helen. Everyone Telemachus converses with speaks favorably about Odysseus and, as they tell their stories, it creates opportunities for flashbacks galore.
Telemachus takes what he learns back to Greece, later meeting up with Odysseus and fighting with him to recapture his wife and kingdom. There’s little about Telemachus in any properties except those that aren’t focused on his father, Odysseus, or some other Greek hero. That makes him the perfect candidate for the HCU.
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Achilles Is the Greek Hero You Can’t Help But Root For
Achilles, the best-known warrior from the Iliad, was the son of Thetis, a sea nymph, and Peleus, a mortal who was king of the Myrmidons. Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Achilles captured some of the heroic aspects of the figure, but a lot of his backstory and interesting characteristics got lost. Because Thetis wanted to protect her half-mortal child, she dipped him in the River Stix to protect him — holding him by his heel, ultimately leaving that one part of his body vulnerable.
A hero like Achilles is exactly the type of figure who could be capitalized upon in Hollywood. Minimally vulnerable, but not wholly impervious to threats, Achilles goes onto be a war hero, leading the Greek forces in the Trojan War in battle after battle. Even with his physical strength and military acumen, Achilles suffers a huge loss when his best friend, Patroclus, dies. Achilles gets revenge on Patroclus’s killer, Hector, but ends up dying later when an arrow happens to hit his heel — the one place on his body that wasn’t protected.
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Achilles’ upbringing, his buddy-tale antics with Patroclus (who might be a little more than his BFF if you catch my drift), his near-death battlefield experiences all form a collection of stories that bring to mind a hero like Thor. Thor’s dedication to his friends and loved ones and his ego make him endearing and entertaining, all aspects of Achilles that can be played up on screen.
Lest we forget that, in Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus meets the ghost of Achilles as well as that of other Trojan War heroes. How’s that for a HCU crossover?
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