Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Cuts to Reassuring Grandpa Reading You the Story
“I love you, Viewer.”
From a bush somewhere in Hollywood, I can now confirm that in his final round of press before the premiere of The Odyssey, Director, Christopher Nolan revealed the epic tale will be read by a kind-hearted grandpa to his sick grandson in bed, our sources report.
“I wanted to preserve the art of storytelling and pay respect to the story tellers that made the passing down of tales like The Odyssey possible,” said Nolan. “The movie will begin with a young boy, a Fred Savage-type, home from school sick, being read The Odyssey by an entirely CGI Peter Falk.”
Fans who were excited to see the blockbuster in IMAX this summer are a bit confused on the motivation behind this choice of nested story, while others are embracing the decision to resurrect Columbo on the big screen.
“What does the movie have to gain by starting in the present day, with some snot-nosed iPad kid being read a bedtime story?” asks one of the top comments under Nolan’s interview. “Although I do admit I’m excited to see TV’s greatest detective back on screen in front of American audiences.”
As for how integral the grandfather and grandson relationship is to the greater story Nolan is telling, one insider close to the production told us they appear numerous times throughout the 2 hour and 52 minute film.
“The Peter Falk cutaways run throughout; I was in the edit when those scenes were being introduced. Mr. Nolan kept adding more and more, he kept saying ‘More Papa, More Columbo,’” said one source who requested to remain anonymous. “He even included a cut to Falk saying ‘Awooga’ when describing the siren's appearance.”
At press time, the Peter Falk estate has sold the actor’s likeness rights to Universal Studios, so expect a return of Columbo himself to a streaming service near you. I got this scoop in the bush with the least amount of dog pee on it in MacArthur Park.
