After winning several Oscars for Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan is venturing into Greek mythology with an adaptation of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. The story centers around Odysseus, a heroic king, and his perilous journey home after the ten-year Trojan War. The film is scheduled for release in North America on July 17, 2026, in IMAX format.
Matt Damon portrays the title character Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Credit: Universal Pictures
A First in Cinema History
The production is the first feature film in history to be shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film cameras, with a production budget of $250 million, making it the most expensive film of Nolan's career. To achieve this, Nolan's team utilized over two million feet of film during a grueling 91-day shoot that spanned the globe, including locations in Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.
The film was shot entirely using IMAX cameras, making it the first film to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras. IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond confirmed the production uses never-before-seen IMAX technology. Hoyte van Hoytema, Nolan's DP since Interstellar, is confirmed to have returned.
Watch the official trailer for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
A Godlike Cast
The film boasts one of the most stacked ensembles in modern cinematic history. Matt Damon leads as the cunning King of Ithaca, Odysseus. This marks Damon's third collaboration with Nolan. Tom Holland plays his son Telemachus, while Anne Hathaway is Odysseus' wife Penelope.
Matt Damon
Odysseus
Anne Hathaway
Penelope
Tom Holland
Telemachus
Zendaya
Athena
The ensemble also features Robert Pattinson as Antinous, the arrogant and aggressive suitor, Charlize Theron as Circe, the powerful enchantress who turns men into pigs, and Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy. Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, and Elliot Page round out the cast.
The Odyssey: By The Numbers
- Budget:$250+ million
- Shoot duration:6 months
- Film used:2 million+ feet of IMAX 70mm
- Filming locations:8+ countries
- Confirmed cast members:15+
What the Trailer Reveals
The trailer, which debuted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, offers a breathtaking glimpse into the epic's most iconic moments. We finally see Odysseus's harrowing encounter with the monstrous Polyphemus, as the hero and his men fight for survival inside the giant's cave. Charlize Theron's Circe is shown wielding mystical powers, while Zendaya's Athena appears as a shimmering, commanding presence on the battlefield. The trailer ends with Matt Damon's Odysseus floating on a piece of rubble in the middle of the ocean.
Robert Pattinson's turn as Antinous is showcased as he schemes to usurp the throne of Ithaca, promising a violent and bloody conclusion. The trailer does not shy away from the story's emotional core either, showing a ragged and aged Matt Damon desperately trying to return home, culminating in a powerful reunion with his son, Telemachus. The highlight of the teaser is a conversation between Tom Holland's Telemachus and Jon Bernthal's mystery character, as Telemachus tries to understand what happened to his father.
Odysseus encounters the monstrous Polyphemus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.
Nolan on Greek Mythology
In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, Nolan explained his lifelong desire to make this film. "Greek mythology… hadn't really been done on a kind of A-budget, big studio, throw everything at the screen and see what sticks kind of way. It's just one of the great adventure stories and I really wanted to see it done justice."
The director explained that Homer's foundational epic was essentially the "Marvel of its day," noting that the ancient poem shares the same fundamental appeal as modern comic series. He pointed to the audience's desire, evident in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC Universe, to see "gods walking the earth." Nolan further elaborated that "modern comics are, in a way, an expression of our fundamental desire to see gods interacting with mortals." He does not view superhero films as separate from classical epic tradition but rather as the "direct spiritual heirs" of the stories Homer told thousands of years ago.
"The big breakthrough creatively in thinking about the gods was that everything that is now explained by science was once supernatural."
Nolan also confirmed that the film's runtime will be shorter than Oppenheimer's three hours, falling just under the 180-minute mark. "One of the things that's really important to me is to be showing the film wherever possible on IMAX film, projecting the format, because we shot the entire movie on IMAX film, and the longest we've ever been able to get onto the IMAX projector is three hours," he said.
The film is an adaptation of the Homeric epic of the same name, telling the story of the Greek hero Odysseus's ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. Following the decade-long Trojan War, Odysseus wandered for another ten years before finally returning to his homeland, Ithaca. At that time, everyone believed he was dead. Meanwhile, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus were facing a group of insolent suitors who were competing with each other to marry Penelope.
Filming Across the Globe
The film was shot in Sicily's Cave of Polyphemus, the Scottish Highlands, Iceland's volcanic landscapes, and the ancient city of Troy in Turkey. Approximately 70% of the film was shot on the open sea, with actors enduring real storms to capture the desperation of Odysseus's journey.
Nolan explained the decision: "The sea is vast, terrifying, wonderful and merciful all at once because conditions change in an instant. What we really wanted to show was how difficult these journeys were for people back then."
The Odyssey.
Release Information
The Odyssey will be released exclusively in theaters worldwide on July 17, 2026, through Universal Pictures. It is currently tracking to become one of the biggest box office events of the year. IMAX announced the commencement of pre-sales for the first wave of IMAX 70mm film screenings for the film on July 17, 2025. The film is not currently available for streaming or early access.
Written by Marcus Reynolds | Senior Film Industry Analyst
Sources: Universal Pictures, Empire Magazine, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, IMAX, NBC
Release date: July 17, 2026 | Distributed by Universal Pictures
