The Odyssey (with Lucas Matthew Herchenroeder)

The Odyssey (with Lucas Matthew Herchenroeder)

From Unspooled by Paul Scheer & Amy Nicholson | Realm

July 24, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

Amy and Lucas discuss Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey, comparing it to Homer's original work.

Amy drops an emergency Unspooled episode to unpack Christopher Nolan’s epic take on The Odyssey, joined by USC classics professor Lucas Herrenroeder. Together they compare Homer’s original poem with Nolan’s bold reinterpretation, exploring everything from its Bronze Age authenticity and towering Cyclops sequence to the film’s treatment of Circe, the sirens, and the gods themselves. Along the way, they debate what Nolan changes, what he leaves behind, and how his version reframes Odysseus as a flawed hero. You can join the Unspooled conversation on Paul’s Discord at https://discord.gg/ZwtygZGTa6 Follow Paul and Amy on Letterboxd for more of their movie hot takes! https://letterboxd.com/paulscheer/ https://letterboxd.com/theamynicholson/ Paul’s book Joyful Recollections of Trauma is out now! Find it at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/joyful-recollections-of-trauma-paul-scheer Check out more of Paul's writing on his Substack https://substack.com/@paulscheer Episodic Art by Kim Troxall: https://www.unspooledart.com/ Learn more about the show at Unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and on Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget…

People in this episode

Hosts: Paul Scheer, Amy Nicholson

Guest: Lucas Herrenroeder

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USC, Letterboxd, HarperCollins, Substack, Unspooled, Megaphone

Products: Joyful Recollections of Trauma

Books & works: The Odyssey

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