FILM · 2026 · UK
The Odyssey
- Directed by
- Christopher Nolan
- Runtime
- 173 min
- Studio
- Universal Pictures, Syncopy
42 archived facts 6 topics 3 sources Last reviewed Sep 2026
Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he is forced to confront the whims of gods, mythological monsters, and trials that stretch both his cunning and his humanity to the breaking point.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (42)
- #001
Nolan examined different translations of the Odyssey and went directly to the source text during the scripting process. He began writing the screenplay in March 2024 and formalized the project in October by reaching an agreement with Universal Pictures.
- #002
The film's visual approach drew inspiration from the works of Ray Harryhausen as well as epic historical productions such as Andrei Rublev (1966) and Ran (1985); with these references, Nolan aimed for a realistic interpretation of Greek mythology.
- #003
Christopher Nolan was confirmed to be writing and producing The Odyssey with Emma Thomas through their production company Syncopy, with filming scheduled to begin in early 2025.
- #004
Filming took place between February and August 2025 in Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara and Malta, as well as at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. With a budget of roughly 250 million dollars, the production became one of the most expensive works of Nolan's career.
- #005
The film is the first production shot entirely with IMAX's 70 mm film cameras; it was also presented in IMAX and various premium large formats.
- #006
Universal announced in December 2024 that Christopher Nolan's new film would be The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem, described by the studio as a "mythic action epic" to be filmed worldwide.
- #007
The production's premiere was held on 6 July 2026 at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London; its theatrical release date was set for 17 July.
- #008
The logline and premise details of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey were kept largely secret compared to his previous films, prompting speculation that included rumors of a vampire period piece, a Blue Thunder reboot or an adaptation of The Prisoner, all of which were debunked.
- #009
In the period before its release, the costumes and production design, accents, dialogue and casting became the subject of critical debate over their historical fidelity to the source material and the setting depicted.
- #010
Christopher Nolan said the "disadvantage of never telling people what we're doing" was the invention and circulation of rumors, though he enjoyed them nonetheless.
- #011
The film's cast features Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus and Robert Pattinson as Antinous; the cast also includes names such as Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya and Samantha Morton.
- #012
Christopher Nolan was previously attached to direct Troy (2004), based on Homer's Iliad, before Wolfgang Petersen directed it and Nolan made Batman Begins (2005); Nolan believed he was "in a little over [his] head" for Troy but felt more qualified to adapt the Odyssey's "sweeping story" after 20 years of large-scale productions.
- #013
According to the TMDb record, Himesh Patel appears in the cast as Eurylochus, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Corey Hawkins as Polybus, Elliot Page as Sinon and Travis Scott as Bard; the production companies are listed as Universal Pictures and Syncopy.
- #014
Christopher Nolan called The Odyssey the largest and most challenging production of his career because of its scale.
- #015
In the narrative, after the fall of Troy, Odysseus's army returns home under Athena's guidance along a slower route. They are taken captive on an island where they stop for provisions by the Cyclops Polyphemus, and after escaping by blinding him, they learn that Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon.
- #016
Nolan said he adapted the Odyssey because no major Hollywood studio had previously made a large-scale production of it, which he called an odd gap in movie history.
- #017
In the sections set in Ithaca, the suitors court Penelope during Odysseus's absence, aiming to take the throne from Telemachus. Antinous learns of Telemachus's plan to go to Sparta from Penelope's servant Melantho and forms an assassination and plunder plot with Polybus.
- #018
Nolan and Thomas called the Odyssey foundational, noting that it incorporates elements of horror, mystery, romance and thriller storytelling, and Nolan said the work had influenced his earlier films.
- #019
Nolan studied the Odyssey and translations by classicists Emily Wilson, E. V. Rieu and Robert Fagles, wrote the script in a non-linear fashion, and made alterations such as giving more prominence to Odysseus's dog Argos, adding interactions between Odysseus and Telemachus, humanizing Circe as unsettling yet sympathetic, and complicating the reunion of Helen of Troy and Menelaus; he was interested in portraying Odysseus's cleverness and inventiveness, citing Wilson's 2017 translation.
- #020
To merge the Odyssey's fantastical elements with his tactile realism, Christopher Nolan depicted the gods' evidence and actions through natural phenomena that were considered supernatural in the story's era. Nolan described this approach as a big creative breakthrough.
- #021
Christopher Nolan named Andrei Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev (1966) and Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) as major inspirations for The Odyssey, especially for its visual style and atmospheric tone.
- #022
Christopher Nolan also drew on Greek mythology–inspired films from his youth for The Odyssey, particularly the work of animator and special effects artist Ray Harryhausen.
- #023
Christopher Nolan weighed casting actors as Greek gods hurling thunderbolts from Mount Olympus, but decided that showing the characters' fear of the gods' actions was more immersive than displaying the gods directly.
- #024
Matt Damon entered talks to star in The Odyssey in October 2024, after previously collaborating with Christopher Nolan on Oppenheimer and Interstellar (2014).
- #025
Matt Damon's casting in The Odyssey was confirmed later in October 2024, when Tom Holland was also cast.
- #026
Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson were set for lead roles in The Odyssey, while Lupita Nyong'o and Zendaya took supporting roles; Pattinson was the only actor who asked to read the script before signing on.
- #027
Casting for The Odyssey continued through early 2025, adding several actors who had worked with Christopher Nolan before, including Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Josh Stewart, Anthony Molinari and James Remar. Himesh Patel was quietly offered his part in December 2024.
- #028
The Odyssey's cast also grew to include Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, 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, Jovan Adepo and Sean Avery.
- #029
Tom Holland was confirmed to play Telemachus, Odysseus's son, in The Odyssey, after rumors had circulated that Holland might take the role of Odysseus instead.
- #030
To play Odysseus in The Odyssey, Matt Damon followed an extensive training regimen and a strict diet aimed at making him lean but strong, cutting out gluten and bringing his weight down to 167 pounds (76 kilograms).
- #031
Matt Damon grew a full beard for a year for The Odyssey after Christopher Nolan declined to use artificial facial hair, wanting to capture the physicality of real hair.
- #032
Production designer Ruth De Jong and costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, both of whom had worked with Christopher Nolan on Oppenheimer, returned for The Odyssey. De Jong's sets and ornaments included a Trojan Horse model standing 36 feet (11 metres) tall and weighing 8,800 pounds, which was shipped to the sea shore in 27 crates.
- #033
Ellen Mirojnick described her costume work on The Odyssey as emphasizing tactility, giving each piece of linen, leather, armour and sandal the texture and dimensions of lived history. Her designs covered Mycenaean Greece costumes for kings and soldiers as well as the draped costumes of Athena and Calypso.
- #034
Christopher Nolan said the production researched the fragmentary archaeological records of the Bronze Age and Ancient Greece during Homer's life to depict armour, weapons and ships. He explained that the oldest depictions of Homeric characters show them in the manner of people living in Homer's time, arguing there is a strong case for portraying things that way because that is how the first audience received the story.
- #035
The Cyclops in The Odyssey was created through animatronics, puppetry and an on-set performance by Bill Irwin, with its design influenced by Francisco Goya's painting Saturn Devouring His Son. The soldiers eaten by the Cyclops were small semi-edible models with an inner skeleton and burstable bags of blood, while Circe's transformation of Odysseus' crew into pigs used animatronics, puppetry, makeup effects and stage magic techniques; Wētā Workshop provided special effects.
- #036
Principal photography on The Odyssey ran for 91 days, from February 25 to August 5, 2025, under the working title Charlie's Tale, and finished nine days ahead of schedule.
- #037
The Odyssey was shot on location in six countries: Morocco, Western Sahara, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland and the United States.
- #038
Christopher Nolan chose to film The Odyssey on location to convey the "physicality of the real world" and how difficult such journeys would have been for people crossing an unmapped, uncharted world.
- #039
Christopher Nolan felt the shifting weather conditions strengthened this practical approach because of the challenges they created, and Hoyte van Hoytema returned as cinematographer on The Odyssey.
- #040
For close-up scenes of The Odyssey that required audible dialogue, the IMAX cameras were often hidden inside large sound blimps on set, and a mirror system was arranged so the actors could keep eye contact when the cameras blocked their view.
- #041
Because a single IMAX camera holds only about three minutes of film, actors on The Odyssey had to pause during longer scenes while the camera was reloaded before they resumed their performances.
- #042
For the midnight raid of Troy, cinematographer Van Hoytema rigged numerous portable LEDs to reproduce a specific firelight color temperature, which allowed Nolan to film in any direction.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Vikipedi (TR)
- TMDB TMDb
- Wikipedia The Odyssey (2026 film) — Wikipedia
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