Everything We Know About Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Movie

The Odyssey will be released next year as the newest movie from fan-favorite director Christopher Nolan, and some important details have already been made public. The upcoming movie marks Nolan’s follow-up to his 2023 biopic Oppenheimer, which won seven Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture. The Odyssey, to be written and directed by Nolan, was announced in December 2024 after a lot of rumors about Nolan’s next movie with Universal, who also distributed Oppenheimer. Throughout his career, Nolan has established himself as a consistent box-office and critical success. Beyond Oppenheimer, Nolan garnered massive acclaim for his The Dark Knight trilogy and major action blockbusters like Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk. Given Nolan’s status among the highest regarded living filmmakers, the news surrounding The Odyssey has generated tons of excitement.

Here’s everything there is to know about The Odyssey, including plot, cast, and release date information.

What Is The Odyssey About?

Nolan’s The Odyssey is based on the ancient Greek poem of the same name, written by Homer. The story follows Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, as he journeys home over 10 years following the end of the decade-long Trojan War. Seeking to reunite with his wife Penelope, Odysseus encounters various dangers and characters from Greek mythology along the way. The cyclops Polyphemus, the goddess Circe, the nymph Calypso, and the deadly Sirens are among the mythical figures Odysseus meets on his travels across oceans and land.

Homer’s The Odyssey was remains one of the most prominent ancient works of literature, one that is influential thousands of years later and has generated many adaptations over the years. 1997 saw an Emmy-winning TV miniseries bring The Odyssey to life, starring Armand Assante as Odysseus, while 2024 saw the release of the film The Return, a film starring Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus. Plus the 2000 Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? was loosely inspired by The Odyssey.

Who’s in The Odyssey‘s Cast?

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Matt Damon is set to star in The Odyssey in the lead role of Odysseus, which was recently confirmed with the movie’s first-look photo. The actor previously appeared in supporting roles in Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Interstellar.

Other confirmed cast members for The Odyssey include Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Zendaya (Dune: Part Two), Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables), Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Lupita Nyong’o (The Wild Robot), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), Elliot Page (Umbrella Academy), Jon Bernthal (Marvel’s The Punisher), Mia Goth (MaXXXine), John Leguizamo (The Menu), Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems), Will Yun Lee (Altered Carbon), Samantha Morton (Minority Report), Himesh Patel (Yesterday), Bill Irwin, Nick Tarabay, Maurice Compte, Shiloh Fernandez, Jesse Garcia, Rafi Gavron, Iddo Goldgerg, Jimmy Gonzales, Michael Vlamis, and Corey Hawkins.

Other notable cast members of The Odyssey have also previously collaborated with Nolan including Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar), Pattinson (Tenet), Page (Inception), Safdie (Oppenheimer), Patel (Tenet), and Irwin (Interstellar).

As of now, only Damon’s character has been revealed, and all of the other cast members’ roles have been kept under wraps.

When Is The Odyssey Filming?

Principal photography for The Odyssey is set to begin in late February. Filming will initially take place in Morocco and the U.K., and later move to the Aeolian Islands in Sicily, Italy in March. A significant part of The Odyssey‘s production will reside on the island of Favignana (aka “goat island”), where Odysseus landed in the original poem. Nolan and his team are reportedly using brand new IMAX technology to shoot The Odyssey. With a projected budget of $250 million, the upcoming film is on track to be the most expensive of Nolan’s career.

When Does The Odyssey Release?

The Odyssey is currently scheduled to open in theaters worldwide on July 17, 2026. This means that Nolan’s new movie will release almost exactly three years after Oppenheimer. Like many of the director’s other blockbuster films, The Odyssey will receive an IMAX release in addition to other standard and premium formats.