All stories have a beginning, and for Odysseus, the Trojan War marked the start of his ten-year homecoming journey. Christopher Nolan will bring Homer’s literary epic to the big screen next year, with the trailer for The Odyssey offering an extended look at familiar narrative beats and characters.
As with the source material, the upcoming adaptation follows the Greek hero, played by Matt Damon, who narrates over the opening sequences: “After years of war, no one could stand between my men and home.” The clip then cuts to Tom Holland’s Telemachus, son of Odysseus, and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, looking on, before Damon and his soldiers are seen inside the iconic Trojan Horse that was fished from the sea.
It sets the stage for another significant event from the original saga — the encounter between Odysseus and what seems to be Polyphemus, the cyclops whom the former outsmarted, in the, well, Cyclops Cave. The trailer ends with Penelope asking Odysseus to promise that he will return, to which he replies, “What if I can’t?”
The Odyssey marks Nolan’s first foray into the historical epic genre, and while first-look images and the trailer have attracted criticism for the lack of historical accuracy (it’s a film, guys! Where’s your sense of whimsy?), it’s shaping up to be pretty epic. As expected of Nolan, who also served as scriptwriter and producer alongside his wife, Emma Thomas, the film boasts a star-studded cast that includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and more.
It will be the 13th addition to his filmography, coming after directing efforts for Following, Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige,Inception, Interstellar, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer. The blockbuster title opens in theatres on 17 July 2026.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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