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USF | Culture > Entertainment

The One about Greek Mythology Adaptations, But its Just The Odyssey

Anneliz Romero Student Contributor, University of South Florida
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at USF chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Greek mythology is one of the foundations for classic literature and storytelling. It is celebrated for its nuance and originality, being a space where many future stories pull inspiration from. Greek stories have been adapted time and time again, within movies, music, novels, TV series, and even webcomics. One of the most widely loved and celebrated Greek stories is that of Homer’s The Odyssey. The Odyssey gave us the classic hero’s journey trope, themes of temptation and resilience, and common character archetypes. 

I will admit, even as an English major, I have yet to read through all of The Iliad or The Odyssey. (I know! Don’t worry, they are top of my reading list.) However, I have seen, read, and listened to many adaptations of these classic stories. And right now, there’s a lot of talk about soon to be released adaptations and recently finished projects that have brought new fans to these stories.

A recent favorite (and obsession) of mine, is that of the concept musical, Epic: The Musical. This musical began gaining popularity back in 2021, as writer and composer Jorge Rivera-Herrans started sharing the musical concept. The musical is composed of nine mini albums, or sagas, each with 4-5 songs, and it tells the story of The Odyssey, specifically Odysseus’s journey. I had first discovered a few songs on TikTok but never really dug into it until last Christmas. A friend of mine realized I at least knew of the musical and told me it had finally finished when the last saga came out on Christmas day. I realized it was the perfect time to finally listen to the complete musical score and watch the animations fans had made for each song.  We then got the rest of our friends to listen and enjoy the musical,we learned, laughed, and cried along to the songs together. It has become an obsession of ours and I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve listened to each song (currently listening to it as I type this), but I do know with 100% certainty that this musical will be on my Spotify wrapped at the end of the year. 

Christopher Nolan, the director of Oppenheimer, is set to create a movie adaptation of The Odyssey in 2026, allegedly featuring stars such as Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya and more. It’s an exciting cast and idea to put into production especially from such a talented director. The recent timing of this announcement left me and many other Epic fans grinning from ear-to-ear as many were discovering Epic because of this movie announcement, or vice versa. Now I’m not saying the musical is hyping up the movie, but the last song of the musical, “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again?”, went viral on TikTok, allowing many to be excited about more Odyssey adaptations.

Honestly, my next step is to finally just read The Odyssey, especially as so many adaptations of it will be releasing throughout the next few years. 

Anneliz Romero

USF '27

Anneliz is a sophomore at the University of South Florida. She is studying English with a concentration in Literary Studies and a minor in Mass Communications. In her spare time, Anneliz enjoys reading, coloring and listening to music. She is an avid coffee drinker and enjoys the drink while curling up with a good book.