Universal has released the official trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, teasing the director’s long-awaited adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic. Some moviegoers may have been lucky enough to have already seen earlier footage through an extended prologue that played in some IMAX sessions earlier this month. This very trailer is being shown ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Now, it is finally available for everyone to enjoy online. Watch the trailer above, then read on for info.
The Odyssey trailer depicts Odysseus’ harsh return journey
The trailer is careful not to show off too much, but what we get a glimpse of is more than enticing. Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, confronts a shipwreck, plows through scorched earth, sails through a raging sea, and enters a cave-like space, where he captures a quick shot of what appears to be a cyclops, Polyphemus. One thing is clear: he’s going to have a pretty miserable return home. “Please promise me you’ll come back,” he said. “What if I can’t?” he replies.
Anne Hathaway stars as Penelope, who defends family conflicts and fends off potential suitors, while Tom Holland stars as Odysseus’ son Telemachus.
The film stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and more.
Director Christopher Nolan says “The Odyssey” is “fundamental” as its scale expands
Nolan spoke to Empire about what drew him to Homer’s epic, and framed the story as a pure storytelling foundation. “When we first announced this project, Emma[Thomas, producer and director Nolan’s wife]said it best: This is fundamental,” he said. “There’s a little bit of everything in it. So it really is the whole story.”
The sense of returning to mythological roots also influenced the way this film was made. Director Nolan said that during the 91-day shoot, “we shot over 2 million feet of film,” and that the production leaned into a completely physical scale by frequently sending the cast out to sea. Of the experience, he added, “It’s so primal! I’ve been working on this for the last four months. We’ve assembled a cast to play the crew of Odysseus’ ship, and we’ve had them ride real waves and come to real places.”
For Nolan, confronting the natural world was essential to telling the story properly. “As the situation changes, it becomes vast and frightening and wonderfully merciful,” he said. “We really wanted to capture how difficult that journey was for the people, and the leap of faith that was taking place in an uncharted and uncharted world.”
He also noted how that approach is directly reflected in the story itself. “By incorporating the physicality of the real world in filmmaking, we can tell stories in interesting ways,” Nolan explained. “Because every day you face the world pushing back against you.”
A strong creative team behind the camera
Director Nolan is here surrounded by a familiar, award-winning staff. This is a creative team that has helped create some of the most ambitious studio films of the past decade.
Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema returns as director of photography, and The Odyssey is being touted as the first narrative feature to be shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras, following Oppenheimer, Tenet, and Dunkirk.
Composer Ludwig Göransson is returning to work on Nolan’s third film after “Tenet” and “Oppenheimer,” and has reportedly been talking to Nolan about the music even before the script was completed.
Jennifer Lame, the editor who cut Oppenheimer and Tenet, returns as executive editor, and production designer Ruth de Jong (Oppenheimer, no) is overseeing the film’s extensive ancient world architecture and actual filming locations across Greece, Sicily, and Morocco.
On the effects side, Andrew Jackson heads up VFX for DNEG, continuing the blended practical and digital approach seen in films like Tenet and Mad Max: Fury Road. Rounding it out is costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (Oppenheimer, The Greatest Showman), who designs Odysseus’ battle-worn look and more ornate god-level robes.
release date
The Odyssey will be released in Australian cinemas on July 16, 2026, and in US cinemas on July 17, 2026.
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