Everything You Need to Know

Scale has always been a hallmark of Christopher Nolan. From the folding cities of Inception to recreating the Trinity nuclear test for Oppenheimer, the director has never hesitated when it comes to expanding the boundaries of the possible in the practical film world. However, for his next picture, Nolan decided to look even further into history, drawing inspiration from one of the earliest and most influential literary stories of Western civilisation.

Inspired by Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey combines elements of Greek mythology, an unprecedentedly huge international cast and the most advanced IMAX film-making techniques. With the movie’s theatrical release coming in just months from now, here’s everything there is to know about Nolan’s next epic.

What Is The Odyssey About?

Homer’s poem follows the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, on his journey home after the Trojan War. What was expected to be quite a simple voyage turns into a decades-long trip where Odysseus has to face the wrath of gods, monsters, severe weather and hard decisions.

Among other things, the hero meets the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, the sorceress Circe, and the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis. Moreover, Odysseus ends up being held captive on the island of the nymph Calypso, who offers him immortality if he agrees to remain with her.

Whereas Odysseus struggles to make it back home, he and his family find themselves facing a crisis of their own. While Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, remains adamant that her husband is still alive in spite of being besieged by numerous suitors who wish to marry her and become lords of Ithaca, Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, who was raised in his absence, starts looking for details regarding his fate.

Despite the presence of monsters, gods and colossal battles in the plot, The Odyssey is not only an adventure novel. Identity, temptation, loyalty, sorrow and the idea of one’s home are the key themes of the tale. Odysseus is praised for his wit and ingenuity; however, his hubris and rash actions constantly endanger his life and the lives of those around him.

Who Stars in the Film?

One of Nolan’s best castings is in this movie.

As the lead character, Matt Damon stars as Odysseus. It is his third collaboration with Nolan after his performances in Interstellar and Oppenheimer. To prepare himself for the challenging journey, Damon underwent extensive physical preparation for the role

Telemachus, Odysseus and Penelope’s son, is played by Tom Holland, and Penelope is played by Anne Hathaway, who appears in her third film with Nolan film after The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.

Other actors starring in the film include Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Himesh Patel, and Corey Hawkins.

How Was The Odyssey Filmed?

The scale of the production is equally impressive as the narrative itself.

It is the first movie ever filmed exclusively in IMAX format. Although Nolan has already worked with IMAX film cameras multiple times – especially on The Dark Knight, Dunkirk and Oppenheimer – those movies included material that was shot with other cameras too. In this film, however, everything was filmed in IMAX format.

The production reportedly filmed for 91 days and used two million feet of IMAX film. Instead of shooting exclusively in studios, Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot in multiple countries using real coastlines, deserts, mountains and ancient buildings to add some physicality to the journey.

The shooting took place in Greece, Italy, Morocco, Iceland and Scotland. The Greek shooting utilised locations all over the Peloponnese peninsula, and Sicily, along with its neighbouring islands, offered more Mediterranean locations. The historic architecture of Morocco, the rough nature of Iceland and the dramatic coastline of Scotland were used to depict various stages of Odysseus’ journey.

Nolan also used real ships and practical settings whenever he could.  Although visual effects remain part of a production of this size, the intention was to ground its mythology in tangible spaces and give audiences a sense of how dangerous travelling through an uncharted world would have been.

When Will The Odyssey Be Released?

The Odyssey will be released in UK cinemas on 17 July 2026, with screenings available in IMAX, IMAX 70mm and other premium large formats.

Whether viewers are already familiar with Homer or are encountering Odysseus for the first time, it is is shaping up to be a rare kind of blockbuster: a vast mythological adventure made with cutting-edge technology, but built around an ancient and deeply human desire to find the way home.

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