We finally know what Christopher Nolan’s next movie will be about. After months of speculation, Universal Pictures finally made the announcement.
Christopher Nolan’s next film “The Odyssey” is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational
saga
to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on
July 17, 2026
.
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The Cast Of The Odyssey, So Far
Nolan’s always had a penchant for drawing big-name actors. After the smashing success of Oppenheimer, including Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor, it’s no surprise the cast for The Odyssey is already stacked.
The cast, so far (in alphabetical order):
- Matt Damon
- Anne Hathaway
- Tom Holland
- Lupita Nyong’o
- Robert Pattinson
- Charlize Theron
- Zendaya
This will be Damon’s third film with Nolan, after previously starring in Interstellar and Oppenheimer. It’s also the third for Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight, Interstellar). For Pattinson, it’s his second picture after Tenet. And the first for Nyong’o, Theron, and Zendaya.
Previous Adaptations Of The Odyssey
Homer’s epic poem is one of the most popular stories in recorded history. It’s served as the source material for countless adaptations and modern re-tellings. But there aren’t many film versions.
In terms of literal versions, the most recent was The Return. It premiered in September at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and stars Ralph Fienees and Juliette Boniche as Odysseus and Penelope. Uberto Pasolini directed. It had a smaller theatrical release in December and received generally positive reviews from critics (72% on Rotten Tomatoes).
There was an Italian film in 1954 called Ulysses that starred a thirty-something Kirk Douglas.
And that’s it for notable, accurate tellings of Homer’s poem (okay, there was a miniseries in 1968, but that’s not a feature film).
There have been a number of “inspired by” versions of Odysseus’s journey home. Everything from the Coen Brothers’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid.
So there’s room for Nolan to put forth the best film adaptation of The Odyssey that’s ever been made. And, honestly, given his track record, we should probably expect nothing less.
If You’ve Never Watched A Nolan Movie, Where Should You Start?
The Odyssey will be Nolan’s 13th film. If you’re new to the director’s filmography and like superhero movies, you should start with his Dark Knight trilogy: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.
If you like more “serious” films, then Oppenheimer and Dunkirk will do the trick.
And if you want to start at the beginning, you should watch Following and Memento, where you’ll really get a sense for Nolan’s more arthouse beginnings before he moved to more blockbuster-y style in Insomnia and The Prestige.
