Christopher Nolan is gearing up for another monumental cinematic journey with The Odyssey, an epic action fantasy film that promises to be one of the most ambitious adaptations of ancient mythology ever brought to the big screen. Here’s everything movie fans need to know about Nolan’s latest project.
At its core, The Odyssey is Nolan’s take on Homer’s legendary Greek epic poem of the same name. The film centers on Odysseus, King of Ithaca, played by Matt Damon, who embarks on a harrowing, decades-long voyage home after the Trojan War. His goal? To reunite with his wife, Penelope, and reclaim his kingdom. Alongside Damon, the film boasts an impressive ensemble cast including Tom Holland as Odysseus’ son Telemachus, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, and a host of others.
Following his Oscar-winning work on Oppenheimer (2023), Nolan immediately began crafting the screenplay for The Odyssey. In October 2024, it was revealed he was partnering once again with Universal Pictures. Yet unlike Oppenheimer, which Universal acquired through an auction, The Odyssey was directly developed with the studio, signaling their strong confidence in the project.
Nolan is producing alongside his wife Emma Thomas under their production banner Syncopy, and maintaining creative control over this must be a massive undertaking. Casting unfolded rapidly, with Damon and Holland confirmed early on. Nolan also brought back familiar collaborators-Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson-while adding fresh faces like Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.
The Odyssey was officially announced in December 2024, with Universal describing it as a “mythic action epic” that would be filmed across multiple international locations. Filming kicked off in February 2025 and has since taken place in an impressive array of settings, including Morocco, Western Sahara, Greece, Italy, Scotland, and Iceland, capturing the diverse landscapes needed to bring Odysseus’s journey to life.
Principal photography for The Odyssey kicked off on February 25, 2025, in the iconic landscapes of Aït Benhaddou, Morocco. Reuniting with Christopher Nolan, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is capturing the film using cutting-edge technology - The Odyssey will be the first blockbuster shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, employing a newly developed lighter and quieter camera system alongside established IMAX tech.
The production then moved to Greece’s stunning Messenia region from March 10 to 2, 2025, shooting at picturesque sites like Pylos, Methoni Castle, Almyrolakkos beach in Yialova, and Nestor’s Cave on Voidokilia beach. These locations were chosen for scenes involving the legendary Cyclops Polyphemus, as well as sequences at the archaeological palace site in Acrocorinth, Corinth. The film partnered with Faliro House Productions’ NAF subsidiary for these shoots, which lasted three weeks and benefited from a retroactive 40% cash rebate-a big win for production.
By late March, filming shifted to Sicily, Italy, focusing on the Aeolian Islands, specifically the island of Favignana, a locale famously referenced in Homer’s epic poem. Mid-April saw the crew move to nearby Lipari to shoot sequences set on the mythological island of Aeolia. Local reports noted a filming window from April 15 to May 15, which included waterborne scenes around Lipari’s Pietra del Bagno and surrounding islets.
In early May, the production headed stateside to a soundstage in Los Angeles, before moving on to Findlater Castle in Moray, Scotland, in early June. The action then traveled north to Iceland’s remote regions including Landeyjahöfn from mid to late June. Returning to Scotland afterward, the crew filmed around Buckie Harbour, Sunnyside Beach near Cullen, and the Culbin Forest from early July through mid-July. Findlater Castle hosted more filming through July 25, with Charlize Theron shooting her role as Circe during the final two weeks of the month. Production is also expected to continue across other parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The film is expected to carry a $250 million budget, marking it as Nolan’s most expensive production to date.
Beyond the leads, Nolan has assembled a massive supporting cast featuring several of his regular collaborators and new talents. Benny Safdie, Josh Stewart, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Anthony Molinari, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Nick E. Tarabay, Jimmy Gonzales, Maurice Compte, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg, Ryan Hurst, and Jon Bernthal all join the ranks.
Skeet Ulrich auditioned unsuccessfully in early February 2025, while Cosmo Jarvis was initially cast but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Logan Marshall-Green shortly before filming began.
A “surprise” first-look image of Matt Damon as Odysseus dropped in mid-February 2025, setting social media abuzz. While some initially speculated Tom Holland might play Odysseus, he was later confirmed as Telemachus, the hero’s son. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, returning from Oppenheimer, created Damon’s look, which sparked discussion among historians and commentators for its historical inaccuracies relative to period armor and descriptions from the Iliad.
On the music front, Ludwig Göransson, another Oppenheimer collaborator, is handling the score, promising a rich auditory experience to complement Nolan’s visual storytelling.
Interestingly, Nolan had once been attached to direct Troy (2004), based on Homer’s Iliad, the predecessor to The Odyssey, before choosing to make Batman Begins instead. Now, nearly two decades later, he’s returned to Homeric myth with what promises to be a groundbreaking epic!
The buzz for The Odyssey is already building strong. In July 2025, exactly one year before the film’s U.S. release, Universal unveiled a 70-second teaser trailer exclusively in theaters before screenings of Jurassic World Rebirth. The teaser featured Tom Holland’s Telemachus and Jon Bernthal, stirring anticipation among audiences. While the teaser was initially planned for an online release later in 2025, it leaked online shortly after its theatrical debut.
Adding to the excitement, on July 17, 2025, tickets for The Odyssey went on sale at twenty-six IMAX 70mm theaters worldwide - a full year before the movie’s official premiere date on July 17, 2026. This unprecedented move highlights the high expectations for Nolan’s epic to shine on the world’s biggest and brightest screens.
So mark your calendars: The Odyssey is set to premiere in theaters across the United States on July 17, 2026. With its massive budget, groundbreaking IMAX filming, and all-star cast, a Christopher Nolan film is shaping up to be, yet again, one of the summer’s biggest cinematic events.
