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Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is officially coming our way this year and, as well as a tantalizing prologue playing in theaters over the last few weeks, there's now a trailer to watch online, too.
With one of its stars recently calling The Odyssey "one of the greatest experiences of my life", it's no wonder the epic is one of our biggest upcoming movies in 2026. The movie will bring the Ancient Greek poem to the big screen, telling a millennia-old story of gods and monsters in the aftermath of a great war – and with a star-studded cast to boot. The Odyssey may well just have what it takes to become one of the best Christopher Nolan movies.
The Odyssey release date
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has a set release date of July 17, 2026 – so get it in your diaries if you haven't already.
Because this is Nolan, it will arrive exclusively in theaters worldwide during the summer blockbuster season. The best way to watch it is at an IMAX screen, especially since new IMAX technology was developed just for this movie.
Interestingly, tickets went on sale a whole year in advance, and they were snapped up very quickly.
The Odyssey cast
If you thought Oppenheimer featured a stacked cast, it's nothing compared to The Odyssey.
This film sees an all-star cast come together to bring this epic story to the big screen, with many of Nolan's former collaborators returning. That includes Matt Damon and Benny Safdie.
"If I explained to you the scale of what it was and how it happened, you wouldn't even believe me. It really was remarkable to see this period of time come to life the way that it did. It was amazing," Safdie said during a conversation with GamesRadar+, revealing that Damon "literally" went "through the Odyssey" while making the film.
The cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Elliot Page, joined by other Hollywood A-listers like Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.
Damon will take on the lead role of Odysseus, the legendary Greek king whose journey we follow. This was confirmed via a first look image which showed Damon in costume looking ready for battle. Thanks to the first trailer, we also know that Holland is playing Odysseus's son Telemachus.
You can see the confirmed The Odyssey cast so far below:
- Matt Damon – Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca
- Tom Holland – Telemachus, Odysseus' son
- Anne Hathaway – Penelope, Odysseus' wife
- Zendaya – Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war
- Robert Pattinson – Atinous, one of Penelope's suitors
- Charlize Theron – Circe, a goddess
- Jon Bernthal – Menelaus, the Greek king of Sparta
- Benny Safdie – Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus and the commander of the Achaeans during the Trojan War
- Himesh Patel – Eurylochus, Odysseus's second-in-command
- John Leguizamo – Eumaeus, Odysseus' servant
- Mia Goth – Melantho, Penelope's maid
- Lupita Nyong'o
- Elliot Page
- Bill Irwin
- Samantha Morton
- Corey Hawkins
- Cosmo Jarvis
- Ryan Hurst
The Odyssey plot
If you haven't already guessed it from the title, The Odyssey will be based on Homer's epic ancient Greek poem of the same name.
One of the oldest surviving literary works, written around the 8th or 7th century BC, The Odyssey tells the story of Greek hero Odysseus. It follows this king of Ithaca as he journeys home from Troy after the decade-long Trojan War.
His homecoming journey also takes another 10 years, as Odysseus encounters many fantastical threats, including angry gods, monsters, and a vicious whirlpool. While Odysseus is absent, his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must contend with unruly suitors who are determined to be Penelope's new husband.
Over the years, The Odyssey has been retold countless times, so it will be interesting to see how Nolan interprets the classic story. However, one thing is for sure – it is set to be the director's most epic feature yet.
Jim Orr, Universal Pictures' distribution chief, said at CinemaCon in early April 2025 that the film will be "a visionary, once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would quite likely be proud of."
Nolan revealed in November 2025 that he shot over two million feet of film - nearly 400 miles worth - including filming on the open ocean. To accomplish this feat, he spent "four months" at sea, calling the experience "pretty primal."
"It's vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift. We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world. By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways. Because you're confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you."
Speaking about the scale of the production, Matt Damon gave some insight into what it was like on set. "I can say, without hyperbole, that it was the best experience of my career. I saw the horse on the beach and I was just like, 'Fuck.' It was just so cool," he stated. "We were shooting that [Trojan horse] stuff next week, so I go, 'How are you going to do it?'" Damon remembers. "And [Nolan] goes, 'I don't know. We'll just get in there and figure it out.'"
Is there a The Odyssey trailer?
Yes! Not only is a 6-minute prologue currently playing in IMAX theaters ahead of screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash, but you can now watch the first trailer for The Odyssey online, which you can see above.
The trailer is more of a mood piece, introducing us to some of the awe-inspiring imagery we'll be witnessing on screens next summer. But we've already got first looks at Matt Damon's Odysseus ("After years of war, no one could stand between my men… and home"), the siege of Troy, and a taste of the film's soul-stirring Ludwig Göransson score. Oh, and did we mention there's a cyclops?
Along with the trailer, there's also a new poster to feast your eyes upon, too.
As we eagerly await Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, check out our guide to all the other movie release dates you need to add to your calendar.
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