Elliot Page May Be Playing Elpenor, Not Achilles, in Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY
There’s been a ton of speculation surrounding The Odyssey ever since Christopher Nolan announced his take on Homer’s legendary epic, but one of the biggest conversations has centered on the movie’s massive cast and who exactly everyone is playing. Some roles are still under wraps, which has naturally fueled fan theories across social the internet.
One rumor that recently caught fire claimed that Elliot Page would be playing a spectral version of Achilles in the film’s underworld sequence. That theory sparked the usual internet discourse from people thinking of Brad Pitt’s portrayal of the character in Troy. But now another rumor has surfaced, and it fits the material way better.
According to reports making the rounds online, Page may actually be playing Elpenor, the youngest member of Odysseus’ crew. If that turns out to be true, it lines up well with both the footage shown in the trailer and the themes woven throughout Homer’s original poem.
In the trailer, Page appears dirtied up and covered in soot while delivering the line: “Who's looking after your wife and son?”
That moment stood out to fans, and when you look at Elpenor’s role in The Odyssey, the connection becomes pretty interesting.
In Homer’s story, Elpenor survives the Trojan War and even makes it through Odysseus’ brutal encounter with the Laestrygonians, the giant cannibal tribe that wipes out much of the crew.
Those armored giants briefly seen tearing through soldiers in the forest battle from the trailer are widely believed to be Nolan’s version of the Laestrygonians.
After escaping that nightmare, Odysseus and the remaining survivors arrive at Aeaea, the island of the goddess Circe. That’s where Elpenor drunkenly falls from a rooftop and dies.
Odysseus, distracted and eager to continue the journey, leaves without burying him. Later, when Odysseus travels into the underworld, Elpenor becomes the very first spirit he encounters.
The spirit begs Odysseus to return and properly bury his body, turning the character into a painful reminder of the king’s failures and neglect.
If Page is playing Elpenor, the dialogue, “Who's looking after your wife and son?”, suddenly carries a lot more thematic weight. Elpenor represents the consequences of Odysseus abandoning responsibilities, both to his men and to his family waiting back home.
Having that character question Odysseus about the people he left behind feels completely in line with the emotional core of the poem.
It also makes the earlier Achilles rumor feel far less likely. Sure, both Achilles and Elpenor appear in the underworld section of Homer’s story, so visually either interpretation could fit the muddy, ghostly appearance shown in the trailer.
But Elpenor’s connection to guilt, duty, and mortality feels much more grounded in the kind of character-driven storytelling Nolan usually gravitates toward.
Page also seems like a strong fit for the role itself. Elpenor may not be one of the best-known figures from Greek mythology, but he serves an important emotional purpose in the story. The character needs vulnerability, fear, frustration, and eventually an eerie spiritual presence once Odysseus reaches Hades.
At this point, none of this has been officially confirmed, but if the rumor is true, it seems like a better, more fitting, casting choice for Page.