Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has a surprising connection to Dune

11 hours ago 1

Published Jul 20, 2026, 1:51 PM EDT

The connections go far beyond the fact that they’re made for IMAX and feature a lot of sand

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is a massive hit, earning $124.5 million domestically in its opening weekend as audiences flock to see the big-budget epic on the big screen. It’s a testament to Nolan’s strength as a filmmaker, but also the incredible power of Homer’s ancient poems. The Odyssey and The Iliad have inspired plenty of filmmakers before Nolan, from Wolfgang Petersen’s 2004 war epic Troy to the Coen Brothers’ whimsical comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou? The story of the Trojan War also has a surprising connection to one of the other biggest films of 2026.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three has more in common with The Odyssey than dominating IMAX screens. According to Frank Herbert’s third book, Children of Dune, Paul Atreides is a direct descendant of King Agamemnon, who led his people to war in Troy.

The name Atreides is derived from Atreus, the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus. Because she was in utero when Jessica underwent the Water of Life ritual, Paul’s sister Alia is born with a Reverend Mother’s ability to connect with her genetic memory. Agamemnon is one of the ancestors she speaks with in Children of Dune, though she spends more time interacting with her grandfather, Baron Harkonnen. Paul’s son, Leto, has the same powers as Alia. He also spends time tracing his ancestral memories back to Ancient Greece in Herbert’s fourth book, God Emperor of Dune.

Because Dune: Part Three is adapting Herbert’s second book, Dune: Messiah, it’s unlikely that this connection will actually come up in the film. But watching The Odyssey demonstrates why Herbert made the connection: Agamemnon has plenty in common with Paul’s father, Leto. He's a powerful leader whose downfall came from treachery rather than open battle. There are also parallels with Paul, who starts a devastating war that shatters the foundations of their civilization. Both characters are hounded by prophecy, as Herbert builds on the Greek tradition of tragic protagonists who try and fail to escape their destinies.

While their stories may be separated by thousands of years, The Odyssey is effectively a canonical prequel to Dune, and anyone who loves an epic saga and cinematic spectacle should be sure to watch both.

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