Newly leaked set photos from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey showcase Zendaya in her Athena costume for the first time, providing a concrete visual of how the goddess of wisdom will appear in the $250 million production currently filming in Italy. The images depict the actress in a flowing white toga with traditional Greek styling, bringing her previously announced role to life alongside Matt Damon, who appears with a long beard and aged appearance as the war-weary Odysseus. The set photos display the classical aesthetic Nolan has adopted for this adaptation, reinforcing the film’s established period setting in ancient Greece. The physical manifestation of Athena, who serves as Odysseus’s divine protector throughout his ten-year journey home to Ithaca following the Trojan War, offers the clearest look yet at the production’s approach to visualizing the mythological elements central to Homer’s epic poem.
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The set images appear to capture a scene reminiscent of Athena’s interactions with Odysseus upon his return to Ithaca, a pivotal moment in the original text. In Homer’s epic, this critical encounter occurs in Book 13, when Odysseus awakens on the shores of Ithaca. Initially, Athena disguises the landscape so Odysseus doesn’t recognize his homeland. She then appears to him first as a young shepherd before revealing her true divine identity. During this reunion, Athena helps Odysseus understand the situation in his kingdom, explains the suitors’ occupation of his palace, and assists in planning their defeat. She also transforms Odysseus into the appearance of an old beggar to help him move unrecognized through Ithaca as he plans his revenge.
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The white toga visible in Zendaya’s costume is consistent with traditional representations of Greek deities in classical art. Unfortunately, the set photos only show the costume itself without any indication of how the character will behave or what specific powers might be portrayed in the final film. The Odyssey marks a significant role for Zendaya following her performances in Dune: Part Two and the MCU Spider-Man films, placing her in a character that demands both authority and nuance. It will be interesting to see how the actress tackles the challenging role.
Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
Following his Oscar-winning success with Oppenheimer, Nolan reportedly secured a $250 million budget from Universal Pictures for The Odyssey, making this his most expensive production yet. Principal photography on The Odyssey began in February 2025, with filming locations spanning Morocco, the United Kingdom, and the Italian Aeolian Islands — notably including Favignana, which figures in the original poem as one of Odysseus’s landing sites. The production schedule extends through late summer, allowing for extensive post-production before the film’s scheduled release on July 17, 2026.
The ensemble cast combines Nolan’s frequent collaborators with new faces. Matt Damon, previously featured in Interstellar and Oppenheimer, leads as Odysseus. Tom Holland has been photographed filming boat sequences that align with the journey of Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, who searches for his father. Anne Hathaway, a veteran of The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, appears to be portraying Penelope, Odysseus’s wife. Additional cast members include Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, and Benny Safdie, with most roles still officially unconfirmed.
The storyline follows the structure of Homer’s epic poem, documenting Odysseus’s decade-long return voyage after the Trojan War. During this absence, his wife Penelope resists persistent suitors while their son Telemachus embarks on his own quest to locate his father. The source material includes encounters with iconic mythological figures and creatures: the Cyclops Polyphemus, the witch-goddess Circe, the nymphs Calypso and the Sirens, and the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, all while facing the sea god Poseidon’s wrath. It’s still unknown how many fantastic elements Nolan will include in his version of The Odyssey.
The Odyssey sails into theaters on July 17, 2026.
What do you think of Zendaya’s role as Athena in The Odyssey? Let us know in the comments!
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