An originalScreamstar reflects on their career after learning they just missed out on Christopher Nolan’s next movie,The Odyssey, the previous night. Wes Craven’s satirical slasher franchise began back in 1996 with an original cast that included Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, Drew Barrymore, and Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface. In the upcomingScream 7, Campbell returns as Sidney Prescott after sitting outScream VIdue to a salary dispute, alongside Cox as Gale Weathers, Lillard as Stu Macher, and Jackson as the iconic voice.
On the other hand, Nolan is the visionary director ofThe Dark Knighttrilogy,Inception,Interstellar, andOppenheimer– all of which feature impressive ensemble casts. Over his career, some of Nolan’s most frequent collaborators include Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Matt Damon, and Gary Oldman.Nolan’s next movieis an adaptation of the epic Ancient Greek poemThe Odysseyand, like many of his past movies, will feature an impressive ensemble cast, with some of the newcomers including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, and many more.
Skeet Ulrich Missed Out On Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie
The Original Scream Star Auditioned For The Odyssey
Screamactor Skeet Ulrich talks about his audition for Christopher Nolan’sThe Odyssey.Ulrich played the main antagonist, Billy Loomis, in the original 1996Screamand reprised his role in the 2022 reboot. After his latest appearance inScream VI, it is not yet clear if he will return forthe upcomingScream 7. However, Matthew Lillard, who played Billy’s accomplice Stu Macher, was recently confirmed to join the cast, suggesting Ulrich could return as well.
At a MEGACON Orlando panel with Lillard, whereScreenRantwas in attendance, Ulrich shared that he was almost cast for the upcoming Nolan blockbusterThe Odyssey. The actor revealed thathe was shortlisted as one of the final three actorswho were up for an undisclosed role. While he put heart into the material, the role went to someone else. Check out what he said below:
It’s not easy at all [having a life full of rejection]. I just read for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.It got down to me and two other dudes, and I found out last night it ain’t me. But, yeah, it’s almost a weekly experience of putting yourself out there for things and hoping and falling in love with material, then having to move on. There are big wins, so that makes it palatable, but it’s a lot of rejection.
But when you do what you love, which I think is one of the most important things that you can do in this world — how many of you are artists, actors and singers and writers and painters? Yeah,it’s not an easy life, but you’re doing what you love to do. So, when you get those moments that you get to do it, it makes everything else fall away. I think it’s crucial that you find what you love to do. My kids are now almost 24, and it’s something I’ve really instilled in them, that they find that thing that they truly, truly love to do, and that they never give up once they find out what that is in pursuing it. So, I hope that you can do that, as well.
Don’t hold Hollywood as the standard of success for if you’re a filmmaker, in any regard. The success is you finding that you love it and doing it in any way you can, whether that’s making movies with your phone, or with your friends or whatever. It’s no different for us. People just put up a lot of money for us to have really cool toys to make those things with, but it’s the same love and the same passion that you have for it. It’s no different than what Matt and I have.
What This Means For The Odyssey
The Odyssey Might Have Added A New Cast Member
The confirmed cast forThe Odysseyreunites Nolan with several previous collaborators: Benny Safdie (Oppenheimer), Matt Damon (Oppenheimer,Interstellar), Robert Pattinson (Tenet), Elliot Page (Inception), Himesh Patel (Tenet), Bill Irwin (Interstellar), and Anne Hathaway (Interstellar). The all-star cast also features Jon Bernthal, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, and Charlize Theron, who will all be working with the director for the first time. So far, there’sno information on what roles they’ll play.
The Odyssey Is Continuing A Christopher Nolan Tradition That Will Make His Oppenheimer Follow-Up A Must-See In Theaters
Following the success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan is moving onto a new project, an adaptation of The Odyssey, which has an exciting update.
The Odysseyis a classic piece of literatureby Homer that tells the 10-year journey of Odysseus as he travels home after the Trojan War. Based on the fact that Ulrich didn’t find out about losing the role until “last night”—with the panel occurring on Friday, February 7—it’s very possible that the film has just added a new cast memberto the ensemble. Nolan’s movies typically have large casts, with his most recent,Oppenheimer, enjoying perhaps his biggest. Clearly,The Odysseyis looking to have a comparable ensemble.
Our Take On Skeet Ulrich’s Missed Odyssey Role
Ulrich has played a variety of characters, from Jughead’s father onRiverdaleto a serial killer inScream.While it’s hard to say which role he auditioned for in Nolan’s 2026 blockbuster, based on the size of the cast and the story itself,it might have ended up being a smaller role. It’s sad that theScreamactor won’t be part of Nolan’s star-studded cast, but the decision was probably for the best.
Nolan has a track record of finding the perfect actors for his best films.
Finding the right actor for the right role is a crucial part of the game, andthe Oscar-winning Nolanhas a track record offinding the perfect actors for his best films. His historical epicOppenheimerwon the best ensemble award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to seven Academy Awards. With filming for the Sicilian portion slated to start in two months, it seems that the ensemble forThe Odysseyis also very close to being complete.
The Odyssey Adds Two More Cast Members
Jesse Garcia & Will Yun Lee Join The Ensemble
Two days after this article’s original publication, as speculated,The Odysseyhas added two more cast members – Jesse Garcia and Will Yun Lee. Just like everyone else who has been cast, their roles are under wraps, though the former is known for starring in the Sundance hitQuinceañera, the biopicFlamin' Hot, and Netflix’sThe Mother. The latter is a martial arts master who has appeared in theJames Bond movieDie Another Day,The Wolverine, Rampage, andSan Andreas.
Estimated Production Budget
$250 million
Since Lee’s role inThe Odysseywill likely make use of his skills as a martial artist in some way,it’s much more likely that Garcia was cast in the role that Ulrich auditioned for. In all likelihood, given Nolan’s history of great casting, he found the actor who was right for the role he was looking for. Hopefully, with filming expected to start sometime in February 2025, audiences will get a sneak peek at some of these actors in character on the set ofThe Odyssey.
The Odysseyis scheduled to be released in IMAX on June 19, 2025.
