The moment is finally here. Universal Pictures has now unveiled the first trailer for The Odyssey — the new anticipated film from Christopher Nolan after his last movie, Oppenheimer, swept the Oscars in 2024. Nolan is following it up with an epic historical drama of immense proportions. The project has been building quite mythic hype with it being the director’s most expensive film, which includes being shot entirely with IMAX cameras.
The Odyssey doesn’t release until the summer, but a special peek of the film was seen in theatres recently. A nearly six-minute prologue was shown ahead of IMAX 70mm screenings of Sinners and One Battle After Another, and the first reactions from movie-goers who have seen the prologue are incredibly positive. After only seeing a few minutes of the movie, they’re already calling it breathtaking, jaw-dropping, and possibly even the biggest movie ever made. And the hype will only build more from here.
The Odyssey is based on an ancient Greek poem by Homer that tells the tale of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his journey home after the ten-year Trojan War. The trip was perilous, including encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe. At home, Odysseus is presumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must contend with groups of unruly suitors who each want Penelope’s hand in marriage to control the kingdom.
Nolan’s take on the story stars Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth, Zendaya, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Ryan Hurst, Logan Marshall-Green, Lupita Nyong’o, Josh Stewart, Benny Safdie, Corey Hawkins, and Elyes Gabel.
Filming took place in Morocco (Aït Benhaddou for Troy), Greece (Peloponnese, Pylos, Methoni Castle, Nestor’s Cave), Italy (Favignana, Aeolian Islands in Sicily), Scotland (Moray Firth coast, Findlater Castle), and Iceland. Favignana, Sicily’s “Goat Island” is “believed to be the place where Homer envisioned Odysseus landed with his motley crew to barbecue goats and stock up on food. The idyllic isle is part of the Egadi archipelago off of Sicily’s north-west coast.“
Tom Holland has said that Nolan’s The Odyssey is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. The journey is due to hit theaters on July 17, 2026.
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