Christopher Nolan Reveals He Was Initially Set to Direct This Famous Epic Historical Film

In a recent cover story for Empire Magazine, director Christopher Nolan shared a surprising piece of Hollywood history.

Nolan revealed that he was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct the epic historical action film “Troy” after completing his 2002 thriller, “Insomnia.”

“I was originally hired by Warner Bros. to direct Troy. Wolfgang [Petersen] had developed it, and so when the studio decided not to proceed with his superhero movie [‘Batman Vs Superman’], he wanted it back,” Nolan explained in the interview.

Ultimately, Nolan didn’t end up making “Troy.” Instead, he went on to direct 2005’s “Batman Begins,” which became the cornerstone of his acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. Actor and writer David Goyer has referred to this opportunity as a “consolation prize” offered to Nolan after the studio reassigned Petersen to the project.

The original “Troy,” released in 2004, was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starred Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, and Diane Kruger, among others.

The film retold the story of the Trojan War from Homer’s Iliad, condensed into a shorter timeline and incorporating elements from later texts like Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica. Despite receiving mixed reviews for straying from the original epic, “Troy” earned over $497 million worldwide and was the eighth highest-grossing film of 2004.

Nolan said that the world of Troy and its mythology has fascinated him for years, and he’s been thinking about how to approach the story ever since. “At the end of the day, it was a world that I was very interested to explore. So it’s been at the back of my mind for a very long time. Certain images, particularly. How I wanted to handle the Trojan horse, things like that,” he shared.

This revelation adds a new layer to Nolan’s career trajectory, showing how one project can pivot a filmmaker’s path in unexpected ways. While Petersen’s career slowed after “Troy,” Nolan went on to solidify his reputation as one of the most influential directors of his generation with the Batman films and other original projects.

It’s fascinating to imagine how Nolan might have reimagined the story of Achilles and Hector. Could his take have rivaled or surpassed Petersen’s? Nolan’s interest in mythological worlds hints that this is a story he might still explore one day.

What do you think about Nolan originally being attached to “Troy”? Would it have been a very different film with his direction? Share your thoughts in the comments.