The Odyssey Backlash Is 'Transphobia and Racism' Under the Guise of Historical Accuracy

As I reported, the final trailer for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey was released over the weekend, and viewers gave the dislike button a workout. On YouTube, the official trailer garnered 428,000 dislikes compared to just 60,000 likes. Paul Tassi, who writes about games and TV for Forbes, claims that the backlash against the film, which isn't even due for release until July 17, is simply transphobia and racism under the guise of historical accuracy.

The Odyssey backlash is transphobia and racism under the guise of "historical accuracy." That's it.
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) July 6, 2026

First of all, there are no Greeks in the cast, and all of the actors will be speaking in American accents, so we can already throw historical accuracy out the window. The transphobia comes from the alleged casting of Ellen "Elliot" Page as Achilles. It turns out Page won't be playing Achilles, but rather a member of Odysseus' crew. Page is 5-foot-1 and weighs about 110 pounds and has noodle arms like David Hogg. She seems to be miscast as a Greek warrior. Nolan previously worked with Page in "Inception" — why he felt he had to bring her back for The Odyssey is a mystery. It certainly wasn't for historical accuracy.

And then there's the casting of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, the face that launched 1,000 ships. Casting a black woman was indeed a choice. A lot of people are saying it was a calculated choice on Nolan's part. He sees his epic film as Best Picture material, and in 2025, the Academy of Motion Pictures introduced "Representation and Inclusion Standards" for Best Picture eligibility. At least one actor or major supporting actor has to be "from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group." Nolan's checked off that box.

This doesn't work anymore, Paul. We don't care. We're done with the bullshit.
— Jon Del Arroz | Sci-Fi And Fantasy (@jondelarroz) July 7, 2026

There's no such thing as transphobia. Stop being silly.
— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) July 7, 2026

There’s no such thing as transphobia. No one is afraid of trans people Paul.

Sure, they do give us a nice chuckle, but fear? No, no one is afraid of them.
— Marcellus Wallace (@MesaSean) July 7, 2026

Horrible take, Paul. People are tired of the double standard.

Why not cast a single Greek for cultural fidelity? Why even film in Greece if race doesn’t matter?

Gaslighting doesn’t work anymore. You live in a bubble.
— Rickist (@RickistRicky) July 7, 2026

Tassi also writes novels about near-future sci-fi gladiatorial combat, now with a twist: genetic engineering, so he can create as many trans sci-fi gladiators as he wants without any concern for historical accuracy.

So, I wrote another book. Herokiller 2, sequel to my last one. Near-future sci-fi gladiatorial combat, now with a twist of genetic engineering.

If you’ve ever liked any of my work, consider checking out this series. And let me know what you think! https://t.co/rCxuhd2Gvl pic.twitter.com/vYHua9Q6dw
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) May 28, 2020

You can use as many buzzwords as you want to make yourself feel better.

That casting is objectively shit regardless.
— TheDezembro (@TheDezembro) July 7, 2026

People like this that slander people over things like this are truly the lowest of the low. You don’t have any actual argument so you say transphobia and racism thinking you automatically win. We see through you now.
— Bryan (@PacketTrace) July 7, 2026