Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” a large-scale adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures on July 17, 2026, according to the studio and to reference records for the production.

The film is Nolan’s first project since “Oppenheimer” (2023), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It adapts Homer’s “Odyssey,” the epic poem that follows the Greek hero Odysseus on his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War.

Cast

Matt Damon — reported to play Odysseus. (Wikimedia Commons)
Matt Damon — reported to play Odysseus. (Wikimedia Commons)
Tom Holland — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Tom Holland — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Anne Hathaway — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Anne Hathaway — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Zendaya — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Zendaya — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Robert Pattinson — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Robert Pattinson — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Charlize Theron — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)
Charlize Theron — reported cast member. (Wikimedia Commons)

Swipe or scroll sideways for more portraits.

Matt Damon is reported to star as Odysseus, leading an ensemble that trade press reports will include Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Charlize Theron. Character assignments beyond Damon have not been confirmed by the studio, and casting details should be treated as provisional.

Nolan is reported to have shot the film with IMAX film cameras across international locations, with sites reported to include Morocco, Sicily, Greece, the United Kingdom and Iceland. The production budget has been reported at roughly US$250 million, placing it among the most expensive films ever built around a classical subject.

Nolan has built his recent films around large-format photography and practical staging rather than heavy digital effects, and reporting suggests “The Odyssey” will follow that approach on location. The scale of the shoot, the length of Homer’s narrative and the size of the ensemble all point to an unusually ambitious production, even though the studio has released few concrete details so far. Industry attention is expected to build steadily through 2025 and into 2026 as casting is confirmed and the first footage emerges.

Key data points

  • Release date: July 17, 2026 (reported)
  • Distributor: Universal Pictures
  • Director and writer: Christopher Nolan
  • Lead: Matt Damon, reported as Odysseus
  • Format: IMAX film cameras (reported)
  • Reported budget: about US$250 million

The “Odyssey” is one of the foundational works of Western literature, and its themes of exile, endurance and homecoming have been retold for nearly three millennia. A big-budget, IMAX-scale adaptation from a director known for practical, large-format spectacle is likely to draw significant international attention in the year before release, both for its sheer scale and for how faithfully it renders an ancient text for a modern audience.

What remains unconfirmed is substantial: the film’s full plot, its runtime, the marketing schedule and most casting beyond the lead. Universal had not published a detailed synopsis at the time of writing, and readers should treat casting and location specifics as reported rather than final until confirmed by Universal’s official channels or by the filmmakers themselves.

The reported ensemble

For readers in Ethiopia and across the Horn of Africa, the film represents a global cinema event rooted in classical mythology — a story of leaving home, surviving the years between and finding the way back that has travelled far beyond its origins on the shores of the ancient Mediterranean.

Sources & reliability