Director Christopher Nolan returns in 2026 with his sure-to-be-staggering new film, The Odyssey. Scroll down to discover all the essential information about the movie including story, cast and release date.
What is The Odyssey about?
The Odyssey is adapted from Homer's epic poem of the same name. It details the travails and adventures of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, following his participation in the sacking of the city of Troy. The story details his encounters with variously mythological and recognisable individuals including Polyphemus, the Sirens and Circe.
The Odyssey is said to date from the 8th century B.C., is written in Homeric Greek and is one of the oldest and most influential works of art in the history of mankind, the foundation for all contemporary literature.
Is The Odyssey being directed by Christopher Nolan?
Yes, The Odyssey is the latest movie from Christopher Nolan, now established as one of the most influential and successful directors of his generation. Nolan's early experimental films like Following (1998) and Memento (2000) soon gave rise to the critically and commercially successful Dark Knight trilogy, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
Nolan has frequently pushed thematic and visual boundaries across the sci-fi, wartime and drama genres. Inception (2010) messed with our perception of time, Interstellar (2014) took us on a voyage into a black hole and Dunkirk (2017) meshed three different time frames as it recounted one of the pivotal evacuation stories of World War II.
Nolan finally received his first Oscar for Best Director for Oppenheimer (2023). The acclaimed biopic starred Cillian Murphy as scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer in a sprawling account of his culpability in creating the atomic bomb, the creation that sent mankind down a radical, dark path.
Given Nolan's love of storytelling and his fascination with the mutability of time, it makes sense that he would tackle The Odyssey. Time lies at the centre of the narrative as Odysseus undergoes numerous, character-testing challenges on his journey back home.
In Nolan's hands, this could potentially become a time-lapse study of a personality in flux, as we bear witness to one man's resolve and inherent nobility shifting and evolving in front of our eyes.
Will The Odyssey be filmed for IMAX?
The Odyssey will be filmed for IMAX in line with Nolan's previous films The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet (2020) and Oppenheimer. Nolan is set to collaborate with the Oscar-nominated director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema who has worked on all of Nolan's movies since Interstellar.
Distributor Universal (with whom Nolan collaborated on Oppenheimer) describes the film as "a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX technology”, which “brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time.”
Who is starring in The Odyssey?
The Odyssey sports an all-star ensemble cast, which is another Nolan hallmark. Matt Damon (who worked with the director on Interstellar and Oppenheimer) was the first cast member to be announced, followed by Tom Holland (here making his Nolan movie debut). Holland's partner and Challengers star Zendaya will also be appearing, making this her first project for Nolan. It has also been confirmed that Anne Hathaway will be starring, having featured in the director's films The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.
Other A-list names include Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Lupita Nyong'o, both of whom make their Nolan movie debuts. Robert Pattinson will also be starring, reuniting with Nolan for the first time since Tenet.
What is the budget for The Odyssey?
The Odyssey has a rumoured budget of $250 million and is said to be "Nolan's most expensive movie so far". If confirmed, this would put it on a par with Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, which also cost somewhere in the region of $250 million. Nolan regularly commands big budgets for his movies: Oppenheimer was relatively scaled down at $100 million, as was Dunkirk at the same price, but the likes of Tenet and Interstellar cost $200 million and $175 million, respectively.
Who is scoring The Odyssey?
It's rumoured that Ludwig Goransson will be scoring The Odyssey. If confirmed, this will be Goransson's third film for Nolan following Tenet and Oppenheimer, for which Goransson won his second Oscar for Best Original Score (he won his first for Marvel's 2018 adventure Black Panther).
When does The Odyssey begin filming?
The Odyssey is set to begin filming this month (January 2025) with locations ranging from the UK to Italy and Morocco.
When is The Odyssey released?
The Odyssey will be released on July 17th, 2026.
If that seems too far away, check out our list of 25 films you have to watch in 2025.
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