The dusty old tomeHomer’sThe Odysseyjust got fuel-injected with some much-needed excitement. It sounds as thoughHugh Jackmanis taking this trip to ancient Greece. The star is currently in talks to headline the Lionsgate fantasy adventure based on the ancient poem. It was announced in April that Lionsgate plans to turn the title into a huge action-adventure tentpole.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1andThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2directorFrancis Lawrenceis behind the helm. And he’s bringing producer Nina Jacobson along for the ride. In May, CEO Jon Feltheimer revealed thatFrancis Lawrence’s deal is for more than one movie. Though how many installments are planned isn’t yet known.
Francis Lawrencealso directed the second installment of theThe Hunger Games,The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, after original directorGary Rossbacked out. Nina Jacobson has been onboard for all four ofThe Hunger Gamesmovies, producing them through her Color Force production banner. The Odyssey will be written byPeter Craig, who co-wroteThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1andThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
The Odyssey is believed to have been composed by Homer in the 8th century B.C. It centers onOdysseusand hisjourney homeafter the fall of Troy while his wife Penelope fights off suitors. It is, in part, a sequel to his other famous poem,The Illiad. Odysseus' trip takes 10 long years, as his wife Penelope and their son Telemachus fight to survive back home. The poem has been adapted numerous times for both film and television, although many times they have not been direct adaptations.Joel CoenandEthan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? andTim Burton’sBig Fishwere loosely inspired byThe Odyssey, andKirk Douglasstarred in the 1954 adaptationUlysses.
Lionsgate has not set a release date for The Odyssey.Hugh Jackmanhas quite a line-up of films planned for the future. He will next be seen in this October’sPan, which tells the origins of Peter Pan. He will then co-star oppositeTaron Egertonin the Olympic underdog storyEddie the Eagle. He is rumored to have a cameo inX-Men: Apocalypse, and will play the role of indestructible mutantLoganfor the last time in 2017’sWolverine 3. He is also playingP.T. Barnumin the biopicThe Greatest Showman on Earth. It isn’t clear at what point he will shoot The Odyssey.
