In the audio commentary track for the Simpsons episode “Tales from the Public Domain,” showrunner Al Jean drops a scalding hot take in talking about the program’s parody of The Odyssey by saying he isn’t that impressed with the original Greek epic poem.
Jean’s primary point of criticism centers around how long it takes for anything to happen in the story and how this makes the characters uninvolving.
While the enduring tale of Homer’s Odyssey wasn’t Jean’s cup of tea, this story was certainly seen as viable by executives at the movie studio Lionsgate.
At one point, this company was planning on turning to this ancient yarn as the basis for a new film franchise that would be anchored by Hugh Jackman.
There was a lot of ambition here, none of which would end up realized.
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