What Do We Know About Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey?

It’s a tale as old as time – literally. Homer’s epic poem Odyssey is one of the world’s oldest surviving pieces of literature (along with his Iliad), reaching 12,109 lines split into 24 books, and containing many of Western literature’s foundational myths. Cyclops, lotus-eaters and sirens all star; it is backdropped by the apocryphal Trojan War and the entire concept of an ‘odyssey’, a long tumultuous journey, stems from this story.

It’s always been a foundational text, especially since it was translated into English in the 16th century. There are many translations of Homer’s original, in almost every language, including Dr Emily Wilson’s 2017 version, the first translation of the Odyssey by a woman. Wilson swaps Homer’s rhythmic dactylic hexameter (a six-syllable structure that sounds far more natural in Greek than English) for the quintessentially English iambic pentameter (used by everyone from Chaucer to Shakespeare to Wordsworth), and writes in clear language, including modern idioms, with pace and rigorous accuracy. One fan of this especially accessible translation is film director Christopher Nolan, who has cited Wilson’s work as a key textual reference for his start-studded film adaptation, coming to cinemas next month.

Nolan, renowned for his work directing Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), Tenet (2020), Oppenheimer (2023) and more, has mined Hollywood’s shiniest stars to feature in this epic adaptation, filmed entirely in IMAX. That includes Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

Wondering what to expect? We’ve gathered everything you need to know before you embark on your own journey to see The Odyssey in cinemas.

Jimmy Gonzales is Cepheus, Matt Damon is Odysseus and Himesh Patel is Eurylochus in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

The Odyssey: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

After the whopping success of seven-time Oscar winner Oppenheimer (2023), Nolan was afforded something many film directors wait a lifetime for: creative freedom. Even by early 2024, the director didn’t know what he wanted his next project to be. Two decades after he felt too green to direct Troy (2004), however, Nolan returned to Homer’s ancient Greece; The Odyssey would be his next adventure.

Homer’s tales always rang in Nolan’s ears. Speaking to Empire at the beginning of 2026, Nolan said: ‘I remember seeing a school play of [the Odyssey] when I was five or six years old. The older kids were doing it. I remember the Sirens and him [Odysseus] being strapped to the mast and things like that. I think it’s in all of us, really. And when you start to break down the text and adapt it, you find that all of these other films – and all the films I’ve worked on – you know, they’re all from the Odyssey. Emma [Thomas; film producer] said it best when we first announced the project: it’s foundational.’

Matt Damon is Odysseus in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

The Plot

At the centre of The Odyssey is Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca who stumbles across many blockades on his journey home from the Trojan War, including monsters, raging storms and years in captivity with the nymph Calypso.

The War itself spanned an entire decade, and Odysseus has been missing for a further 10 years. At home, his now adult son Telemachus and his wife Penelope await Odysseus’ return. In his absence, suitors have plagued his household, praying on Penelope and hoping to inherit the king’s fortune.

Watch the trailer below for a taste of the action.

The Cast

It’s a stacked cast – testament to Nolan’s renowned status in Hollywood. Frequent Nolan collaborator Matt Damon leads as Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, having previously starred in Interstellar and Oppenheimer. Interstellar co-star Anne Hathaway joins him as Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, and Spider-Man star Tom Holland as their son Telemachus.

Elsewhere Holland’s IRL wife Zendaya stars as goddess Athena, who guides both Telemachus and Odysseus on their journeys back to one another. Then there is Robert Pattinson as Antinous, who courts Hathaway’s Penelope in Odysseus’ absence.

Tom Holland is Telemachus in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

In the Trojan War, Lupita Nyong’o takes on the dual role of Helen of Troy, the woman whose beauty sparked the decade-long battle, and Helen’s sister Clytemnestra and wife of Agamemnon. King of Mycenae Agamemnon is played by Benny Safdie, and is slaughtered by Clytemnestra on his return from the War, as revenge for Agamemnon killing their daughter, Iphigenia, as a sacrifice to the gods amid the war. Jon Bernthal stars as Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother, Helen’s husband and the Greek king of Sparta, who survives the war.

On Odysseus’ journey, Charlize Theron stars as Calypso, the nymph who traps the soldier on her island, intending to keep him as her immortal husband. Before she trapped him, Odysseus fought many enemies blocking his path home, including the Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin) and goddess and mesmerising witch Circe (Samantha Morton). He also meets the famed blind prophet of the Greek underworld, Tiresias (James Remar).

Mia Goth is Melantho and Anne Hathaway is Penelope in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Around Odysseus, we also meet many ill-fated soldiers, including Cepheus (Jimmy Gonzales), Polites (Andrew Howard), Sinon (Elliot Page).

And at Odysseus’ home, ravaged by the suitors, we will meet suitor Polybus (Corey Hawkins), loyal blind goatherd Eumaeus (John Leguizamo), maidservant Melantho (Mia Goth), goatherd Melanthus (Logan Marshall-Green) and a resident bard, played by Travis Scott.

Elsewhere, this mammoth cast features Elyes Gabel, Jesse Garcia, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick E. Tarabay, Maurice Compte, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg, Josh Stewart, Ryan Hurst, Anthony Molinari, Jovan Adepo, Sean Avery and Ian Casselberry.

Robert Pattinson is Antinous in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Where Was It Filmed?

The Odyssey was shot across a 91-day period from 25 February through to 5 August 2025. Six key countries were used, emulating many of the real locations Odysseus may have travelled through: Morocco, Greece and Italy, as well as Iceland, Scotland and the US.

As much as possible, Nolan wanted to shoot outside in the elements, not in a studio. ‘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,’ the director told Empire, ‘because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you.’

Matt Damon is Odysseus in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Release Date

The Odyssey will land in UK and US cinemas on 17 July 2026, following its world premiere in London on 6 July 2026.

Filmed entirely in IMAX, the first film to do so, the fullest watching experience will come at an IMAX cinema. In London, there’s the BFI IMAX (the largest screen in Europe), as well as screens at Cineworld Leicester Square, ODEON Swiss Cottage and ODEON Greenwich; our money is on the BFI as the premiere location.

Find your nearest IMAX (or ordinary) screen and book your tickets here.