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By Marni Rose McFall
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British director Christopher Nolan is working on a new film, and it's already being hailed as a "masterpiece."
Nolan—who won the Academy Award for Best Director last year for his previous feature, Oppenheimer—is currently shooting his follow-up, The Odyssey.
With its high-profile director and A-list cast, this new adaptation of one of the oldest works of literature already has people talking. Here is what we know about the film so far.
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What Is Christopher Nolan's Film 'The Odyssey' About?
The Odyssey is an epic action fantasy film written, produced and directed by Nolan.
The film is an adaptation of Homer's epic poem of the same name, which was written in the 8th or 7th century BC and is considered one of the greatest works of Western literature, along with Homer's other epic poem, The Iliad.
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Described in the introduction of the Penguin Classics edition as "the return of Odysseus from Troy to reclaim his threatened home on Ithaca," the story is split into 24 books and follows Odysseus, the Greek hero and king of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the decade-long Trojan War to reunite with his wife, Penelope.
In the poem, Odysseus' journey sees him encounter Cyclops, the Sirens and the witch goddess Circe.
Who Is in the Cast of 'The Odyssey'?
The confirmed cast includes these actors:
- Matt Damon
- Tom Holland
- Zendaya
- Robert Pattinson
- Lupita Nyong'o
- Anne Hathaway
- Charlize Theron
- Jon Bernthal
- Benny Safdie
- John Leguizamo
- Elliot Page
- Himesh Patel
- Bill Irwin
- Samantha Morton
- Mia Goth
- Corey Hawkins
- Jesse Garcia
- Will Yun Lee
- Rafi Gavron
- Shiloh Fernandez
- Nick E. Tarabay
- Jimmy Gonzales
- Maurice Compte
- Michael Vlamis
- Iddo Goldberg
Matt Damon has been confirmed to be playing the titular character. Damon recently starred in Nolan's Oppenheimer as Leslie Groves and also worked with the director on 2014's Interstellar.
The rest of the actors' characters have yet to be confirmed.
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What Do We Know About the Film So Far?
Nolan is writing the script and producing the film alongside his wife, Emma Thomas, through their production company, Syncopy. The film was set up directly at Universal and reportedly has a budget of $250 million, which would make it the most expensive film of Nolan's career.
Universal has said The Odyssey will be "shot across the world," and so far filming has taken place in Morocco, Greece and Italy. Filming is also expected to take place in the U.K.
Ludwig Göransson has been rumored to be scoring the film, but this has not been confirmed.
The Instagram account @theodysseymovie shared a first look at the film in February, showing Damon in character.
What Has Been Said About 'The Odyssey' So Far?
During Universal Pictures' presentation at CinemaCon this week, Jim Orr, the studio's distribution chief, said the film was a "visionary take." He added, "We know this film will be a once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would quite likely be proud of."
Universal is describing the film as a "mythic action epic shot across the world using brand-new IMAX film technology."
In a 2024 interview with the British Film Institute, Nolan discussed the epic poem, saying: "When I started in films with Following and Memento, it was still seen as radical or unusual not to tell the story chronologically, which has never been the case in literature. You go back to the Odyssey, it's never been the case that you're supposed to tell a story from beginning to end."
When Will 'The Odyssey' Be Released?
The Odyssey's theatrical release is slated for July 17, 2026.
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