Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey script hits Amazon bestseller list
The 240-page Faber & Faber paperback is available for preorder before its Aug. 4 release, as Nolan’s film keeps drawing box office heat.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Christopher Nolan’s take on “The Odyssey” is now headed from the big screen to the bookshelf, with the filmmaker’s full screenplay listed for sale online ahead of its official publication.
Amazon lists “The Odyssey: The Official Screenplay” as a 240-page paperback from Faber & Faber, priced at $13.95 after a markdown from $17.95. The book is available for preorder and is scheduled to be released on Aug. 4, according to the listing.
The screenplay has already climbed to No. 1 on Amazon’s bestseller rankings, Variety reported. The edition includes Nolan’s script for the mythological adventure, giving readers the film’s dialogue and scene direction as written for the screen.
Nolan’s Homer adaptation gets a paperback
The film is Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem, centered on Odysseus and his long, dangerous attempt to return home after the Trojan War. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the king of Ithaca.
The cast also includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal and John Leguizamo, according to Variety.
Nolan both wrote and directed the movie. The screenplay release follows a familiar pattern for the filmmaker, whose scripts for “Oppenheimer,” “Tenet,” “Interstellar,” “Inception” and “The Dark Knight Trilogy” have also been published in book form.
Box office and book sales are both moving
Interest in “The Odyssey” is not staying confined to theaters. Variety reported that the film collected $124.5 million in North America and $264.1 million worldwide over the weekend.
The movie has also posted strong audience and critic marks. Variety cited an “A” grade from CinemaScore exit polling and a 95% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The renewed attention has spilled over to Homer’s original work. Sales of “The Odyssey” across multiple editions and translations have reportedly risen 76% year to date, according to Variety. Audiobook listening also increased around the movie’s debut, Variety reported.
The screenplay’s fast rise on Amazon puts it in the same current as that wider Homer bump. For Nolan fans, it offers another way to study how the director shaped one of literature’s best-known journeys into a new film version.
Amazon lists “The Odyssey: The Official Screenplay” for preorder now, with publication set for Aug. 4.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.