After winning multiple Oscars for Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan is gearing up to release yet another massive, star-studded epic in next summer’s The Odyssey. Based on Homer’s classic poem, The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, who embarks on a winding journey back home after the Trojan War. With IMAX showings already sold out (tickets went on sale a full year in advance), The Odyssey is all but guaranteed to be one of the biggest films of 2026. Since the film doesn’t premiere until next July, Universal has largely kept it under wraps for the time being, but that’s changed now with the release of the new Empire cover.
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Empire has unveiled the cover of its latest issue, which features Damon’s Odysseus front and center as the Trojan horse rises in the background. The issue serves as the outlet’s 2026 preview, with The Odyssey being one of several high-profile titles spotlighted. Empire‘s special subscribers cover also draws from Nolan’s film, featuring an illustration of soldiers pulling the horse to Troy. Check out both covers in the space below:
A New Odyssey Trailer Could Be Coming Soon
The Odyssey being such a prominent part of Empire‘s latest issue is a sign that Universal is ready to kickoff the first phase of the film’s proper marketing campaign. The magazine cover is the first officially released promotional material for The Odyssey since a still image of Damon as Odysseus was shared back in February when the movie began production. Over the summer, an Odyssey teaser trailer was attached to screenings of Jurassic World Rebirth, but it was never shared online by any of Universal’s official channels. The general public could be treated to an Odyssey trailer soon, however.
The Odyssey is one of many future blockbusters rumored to have a trailer attached to James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, which premieres in December. Universal followed a similar playbook while promoting Oppenheimer, releasing a teaser to coincide with Avatar: The Way of Water, so many expect the studio to repeat the strategy here. With Avatar set to play in premium format theaters over the holiday season (including IMAX), it makes sense to use its release as a launchpad for Odyssey marketing. Not only would Universal ensure lots of people see the trailer, they’d be able to highlight the massive scope of Nolan’s vision on the biggest of screens.
It’ll be interesting to see what Universal is willing to show in Empire or a new trailer at this point in time. The story of The Odyssey is well-known, so there isn’t necessarily a mysterious plot to keep under wraps, but the studio may not want to peel back the curtain too much several months ahead of release. That said, fans are certainly interested in seeing more of the stacked Odyssey ensemble and how they all fit into the film. The movie features several figures from Greek mythology, and it would be great to get at least a tease of how Nolan interpreted them either in new still images or footage from a teaser.
The imagery from the Empire covers is certainly fitting and could be a harbinger of the teases to come. Nolan has long been famous for painting on large canvases, immersing viewers with overwhelming scope and spectacle. The Odyssey is the perfect kind of story for Nolan’s sensibilities, and it will be exciting to see how he brought the classic epic to life. There have been plenty of great movies based on The Odyssey before, but nothing on the level of this.
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