There are several highly anticipated films on deck in 2026, but few are bigger than Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Not only is it the director’s first film since his Oscar-winning triumph Oppenheimer, the filmmaker has amassed a star-studded cast to bring Homer’s classic story to life on the big screen in a way that’s never been done before. The Odyssey is shaping up to be one of the year’s premier cinematic events; Universal made IMAX tickets available to purchase a year in advance, underscoring the high hopes the studio has for the film. It’ll be several months before reviews for The Odyssey are in, but we now have our first official reaction.
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In an interview with CinemaBlend, Jonathan Nolan, Fallout showrunner and brother of Chris, shared his thoughts on The Odyssey. “I’m not working on The Odyssey. I have seen The Odyssey. It’s tremendous,” he said. “It’s an incredible achievement … I was fascinated by the Iliad and The Odyssey when I was younger, and I had some fun conversations with Chris about where he’s taking it. It’s a spectacular film.”
Can The Odyssey Be One of 2026’s Best Films?
Jonathan Nolan obviously isn’t going to say anything negative about his brother’s film five months out from release, but it’s still exciting to hear him talk about it. He may be biased given his connection to the director, but fans can still trust is mini review — at least from the perspective that he’s seen the film. The Nolan brothers are close, having collaborated before on several of Chris’ movies, so it stands reason to believe Chris has kept Jonathan in the loop and shown him what he’s been working on. Final picture probably isn’t locked yet, but there’s likely some version of an assembly cut Nolan’s working with as he makes his way through post-production.
Hearing The Odyssey described as “an incredible achievement” will only raise the already high expectations even further. The hype for The Odyssey is palpable, but it’s for good reason. Nolan has long been established as one of his generation’s premier directors, consistently delivering work of a high level of quality. Even when reception to one of his films is more mixed (Tenet), people still appreciate his ambitious filmmaking style and commitment to telling grand stories on a very large scale. In that respect, The Odyssey seems like the perfect marriage between director and material. It’s the ideal outlet for Nolan to lean into all of his trademark sensibilities.
The Odyssey teaser that’s been released online only gives people a brief taste of what to expect, but the footage supports Jonathan’s claims that it’s “spectacular” and “tremendous.” It hints at the immense scope viewers have come to expect from Nolan films, but with a mythical/fantastical spin that makes it stand apart from his earlier works. One of the most impressive aspects of The Odyssey is Nolan’s dedication to doing as much of the film as possible practically, shooting on real locations. While there will surely be CGI involved with some of the visual effects, Nolan’s approach really comes through in the teaser footage, grounding the epic story in something that feels tangible.
Based on Nolan’s track record, it would be a surprise if The Odyssey was anything other than a well-received box office hit. None of Nolan’s directorial efforts have a negative Rotten Tomatoes score (Tenet is the lowest with 70%), and he’s one of the few filmmakers whose name alone is enough to draw large crowds to the theater. Whether he’s crafting a superhero adventure starring Batman or making a three-hour biopic about the creation of the atomic bomb, Nolan’s films have widespread commercial appeal. Hopefully, everyone agrees with Jonathan’s assessment of The Odyssey, and the epic goes down as another major win for the director.
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