Christopher Nolan tackled one of The Odyssey’s most debated casting choices ahead of the film’s July 17 release. The director broke down the surprising creative logic behind casting Travis Scott as a bard in the epic.

Christopher Nolan explains Travis Scott’s casting as a bard in The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan cast rapper Travis Scott as a bard in The Odyssey, TIME reports. The director chose Scott to highlight the ancient roots of oral storytelling. Nolan connected the tradition of Homeric poetry to modern musical performance through the casting.

“I cast him because I wanted to nod towards the idea that this story has been handed down as oral poetry, which is analogous to rap,” Nolan said. The filmmaker saw a direct link between ancient bards and contemporary artists. Scott’s role reflects how poets originally performed The Odyssey for live audiences thousands of years ago.

Nolan also collaborated with three-time Academy Award-winning composer Ludwig Goransson on the film’s score. The director instructed Goransson to avoid using a traditional orchestra entirely. Nolan wanted to subvert audience expectations for a swords-and-sandals epic.

“It’s not like the orchestra existed back then,” Goransson said. “It was a challenge and also an opening to try to make something unique.” Goransson rented 35 bronze gongs of varying sizes for the score. He then experimented with them and recorded the results alongside synthesisers.

The lyre, an ancient string instrument, also plays a distinctive role in the film’s sound design. Nolan devised a creative connection between the instrument and a key narrative moment. “Chris had this idea of the sound of the lyre being the pluck of Odysseus’ bow,” Goransson said. The Odyssey arrives in theatres on July 17. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Zendaya.

Universal Pictures is distributing the first feature-length film shot entirely on IMAX.