X-MEN Star Hugh Jackman In Talks To Play 'Odysseus' In Lionsgate's THE ODYSSEY

X-MEN Star Hugh Jackman In Talks To Play 'Odysseus' In Lionsgate's THE ODYSSEY

It looks like Hugh Jackman might be preparing to trade his claws for a sword and sandals, as word is the X-Men megastar is in early talks to play the lead role in the Francis Lawrence-directed adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey. Well, he never did like Cyclops...

By MarkCassidy - Aug 20, 2015 01:08 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantasy
Source: The Wrap

The Wraps reckons CBM fave Hugh Jackman is in early talks to play Odysseus in Lionsgate's big screen adaptation of the epic Greek poem, The Odyssey. Apparently no deal is in place yet, but the actor has had "multiple conversations with the filmmaking team" about coming aboard.

Homer's Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus' perilous voyage back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, the events of which are detailed in The Iliad. Some of the dangers he encounters on his voyage include cannibals, the wrath of the God of the Sea, Poseidon, and of course the infamous Cyclops. Keep in mind though, there is a possibility all of the more fantastical elements could be stripped from the tale in favor of a more "realistic" approach.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay parts 1 and 2 director Francis Lawrence will take the helm, and there is currently no release date. Do you think this sounds like a good role for Jackman?
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blackandyellow
blackandyellow - 8/20/2015, 11:52 AM
It's quixotic to think you can adapt The Odyssey in one movie.
McGee
McGee - 8/20/2015, 12:21 PM
Ho-oh! You tell B&Y went to college....he's referencing Miguel de Cervantes' long ass book that other filmmakers have tried--shut up! I went to college too! >:(
McGee
McGee - 8/20/2015, 12:24 PM
Community College still counts kinda.
blackandyellow
blackandyellow - 8/20/2015, 12:49 PM
Fake it 'til you make it.
Earthbound
Earthbound - 8/20/2015, 1:07 PM
They already made The Odyssey. It's called 'O Brother Where Art Thou'!


blackandyellow
blackandyellow - 8/20/2015, 1:09 PM
@theambassador

Nope. Quit screwing around and get back to frying those McNuggets.
JamesMann
JamesMann - 8/20/2015, 1:09 PM
The Odyssey was a much more enjoyable read than The Iliad so I'm all for this. Jackman would be pretty perfect for a character like Odysseus.
TotalChaos57
TotalChaos57 - 8/20/2015, 1:10 PM
Hmm...I thought he was leaving X-Men so he wouldn't have to do crazy workouts and diets anymore. If so, this would be an odd next step.
imkennypowers
imkennypowers - 8/20/2015, 1:10 PM
Sean Bean should reprise the role of Odysseus from Troy!!
MercwithMouth
MercwithMouth - 8/20/2015, 1:11 PM
I will watch the shit outta this movie. I love Homer's Odyssey.
KINGPEN266FBA
KINGPEN266FBA - 8/20/2015, 1:13 PM
Smh won't be seeing this
ChiliConCarney
ChiliConCarney - 8/20/2015, 1:14 PM
@TheAmbassador

JoeMomma29
JoeMomma29 - 8/20/2015, 1:18 PM
This movie needs to be broken into two movies at a minimum!
imkennypowers
imkennypowers - 8/20/2015, 1:18 PM
@blackandyellow - "It's quixotic to think you can adapt The Odyssey in one movie."

You should know better than to use that term!!

It's a painful reminder for @Gusto and @McGee they may never get to share with the world their re-imagining of Man of La Mancha where they play the roles of Don Quixote & Sancho Panza!!
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 8/20/2015, 1:18 PM
Cool good news.

Would love to see him star in an action movie for grown ups, something in the vain of Drive, which he was going to initially star in.
Or maybe partner him and Dwayne Johnson up in a buddy cop movie.

Kyos
Kyos - 8/20/2015, 1:22 PM
Wolverine plays Odysseus... I'm proud there's the cyclops pun I hoped for after reading the headline! ^^
BestAtWhatIDo
BestAtWhatIDo - 8/20/2015, 1:24 PM
I think they could do a good adaptation in one movie. There are really only a handful of indispensable set pieces. Mix those with some good character development and you have a quality flick. Jackman's a decent choice, but a younger Russell Crowe would have been spot-on.

They'd want to keep:
The Cyclops
Scylla and Charybdis
The Sirens
Calypso
The return/suitors

You'd want 10-15 minutes max for each of those incidents, so that still leaves you plenty of time for setup and character development in ~ two hours. I hope this gets made - something needs to erase the memory of the shitty Armand Assante TV movie.
gambgel
gambgel - 8/20/2015, 1:26 PM
What?? There isnt any Odisseus character

The hero is ULISES Lol omg...
SuperCat
SuperCat - 8/20/2015, 1:27 PM
I'd see it.

TheGambitFreak
TheGambitFreak - 8/20/2015, 1:28 PM
You can do the Odyssey in one movie. It's possible. However, it is a mythological story; If you're going to add anything to make it more "realistic" or take anything out, you need not make it at all.
SonOfOdor
SonOfOdor - 8/20/2015, 1:28 PM
Love this story, and really like the idea of Hugh being the lead. I think this will be pretty epic!
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 8/20/2015, 1:30 PM
Nice! I've been waiting for this story to be made into a proper movie and now they have a solid director and a great lead!
MercwithMouth
MercwithMouth - 8/20/2015, 1:32 PM
@gambgel

Lol. Odysseus is known as Ulysses in the Roman myths. In the original Greek epic, his name is Odysseus.
TheGambitFreak
TheGambitFreak - 8/20/2015, 1:33 PM
@gambgel ERNT! Wrong. Oddysseus is the main character. So is Ulysses (Not "Ulises"). One is the Greek term for the character, while the other is Latin.

MercwithMouth
MercwithMouth - 8/20/2015, 1:33 PM
The only thing I never liked about Odyssey is the GIGANTIC deus ex machina at the end where Athena stops pretty much the entire population of Ithaca from killing Odysseus. Much too convenient.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 8/20/2015, 1:34 PM
Ulysses was the Roman name for the same character... kinda.
blackandyellow
blackandyellow - 8/20/2015, 1:36 PM
Hitman Agent 47 is at 6% on RT. Hollywood needs to stop trying to make video game movies a thing. Also, it's a miracle, but FF isn't going to be Fox's worst movie of 2015.
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