For his next historical blockbuster, award-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan is taking on The Odyssey. The film, set to be released next year, will likely be the most ambitious—and the most expensive—adaptation of Homer’s epic Greek poem to date. Read on to discover newly revealed details about The Odyssey, including a first-look image of the titular hero.
The Odyssey: From Ancient Greece to the IMAX Screen
Scheduled for release on July 17, 2026, The Odyssey will be Christopher Nolan’s first film since the multi-Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, which followed American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb. According to Universal Studios, “The Odyssey is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand-new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time.”
Attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, The Odyssey is one of the world’s oldest known stories. After thousands of years and various adaptations, it still manages to captivate contemporary audiences. The epic poem was likely composed during the 8th or 7th century BCE and, like Homer’s The Iliad, is divided into 24 books. The Odyssey follows Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, on his tumultuous journey home after the Trojan War. Along the way, Odysseus famously encounters a swath of opposing forces. Among them are the man-eating cyclops Polyphemus, the deadly singing Sirens, the six-headed monster Scylla, and the powerful sorceress Circe. Interwoven throughout the saga are enduring universal themes like heroism, vengeance, and the balance between fate and free will.
Confirmed Cast Members and Filming Schedule
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterIt was announced earlier this week that Matt Damon will star in the titular role of Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. Following the announcement, some critics argued that a Greek actor should have been cast in the role. Others criticized the first-look photograph released by Universal Pictures, pointing out that Damon’s helmet and armor are not accurate to the period from which Homer’s story originated. Reports of The Odyssey‘s star-studded ensemble cast have largely met with excitement. It reportedly includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Benny Safdie.
The Odyssey will be partially filmed in Sicily, where Homer likely intended some of the story to take place. Production is set to begin this spring in Favignana, known as “Goat Island,” off the west coast of Sicily—the same shores that Homer may have imagined Odysseus landing with his shipmates. Additional filming will then take place in Morocco and the United Kingdom.
