The Odyssey TRAILER: Christopher Nolan brings Homer’s epic to life with Matt Damon, Anne Hathway in first glimpse

Director Christopher Nolan has released the first official trailer for his upcoming film The Odyssey, offering audiences their first extended glimpse of the highly anticipated adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic.

The Odyssey first trailer out

The teaser, which highlights the perilous journey of Matt Damon’s Odysseus in the aftermath of the Trojan War, emphasises vast seas, haunting landscapes and mythic threats, setting the tone for what promises to be a sweeping cinematic spectacle.

The Odyssey is scheduled to be released in theatres worldwide on 17 July 2026, with an ambitious rollout including IMAX 70 mm screenings that reflect Nolan’s commitment to large-format filmmaking.

The new trailer, which leans strongly on visual atmosphere and immersive imagery rather than dialogue, showcases Odysseus enduring shipwrecks, confronting the elements and navigating otherworldly challenges in his attempt to return home to Ithaca and his family following the decade-long war at Troy.

Alongside Damon’s Odysseus, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Anne Hathaway as Penelope, his loyal wife awaiting his return, Tom Holland as Telemachus, his son in search of his missing father, and other high-profile performers such as Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page and Jon Bernthal.

The Odyssey marks Nolan’s most ambitious project to date in several respects. It is reported to be the most expensive film of his career, with an estimated budget of around $250 million, and represents his first feature shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film cameras, a decision that underscores his ongoing advocacy for theatrical experience and large-format cinematography.

Principal photography for the film spanned diverse global locations, including Italy, Morocco and Scotland, contributing to a grand and textured visual landscape.

Nolan’s journey to bring The Odyssey to the screen follows a period of intense critical and commercial success. His previous film, Oppenheimer (2023), won multiple Academy Awards and solidified his reputation as one of contemporary cinema’s most distinctive voices.

Despite the profound differences between a historical biographical drama and an ancient myth adaptation, Nolan’s fascination with time, memory and human resilience is expected to inform his interpretation of Homer’s epic. The early teaser screenings have been strategically placed ahead of other major releases, building anticipation and reaffirming Nolan’s influence in shaping theatrical film experiences.

Universal Pictures, which is producing and distributing The Odyssey, has positioned the film as a “mythic action epic” that brings one of Western literature’s foundational narratives to the big screen for the first time in full IMAX.

The decision to unveil footage well ahead of the film’s official release has generated significant online discussion and speculation about how closely the cinematic adaptation will hew to its ancient source material.

More about Homer's Odyssey

Homer’s The Odyssey is one of the oldest and most enduring works of literature in the Western tradition. Believed to have been composed in the 8th century BCE, the epic poem recounts the long and treacherous journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he strives to return home after the Trojan War.

Along the way, he and his crew encounter a series of challenges, including the lotus-eaters, the cyclops Polyphemus, the sorceress Circe and the alluring Sirens, as well as the ominous straits between Scylla and Charybdis.

The latter half of the poem follows Odysseus’s return to Ithaca, where he must reclaim his household from suitors and reunite with his faithful wife Penelope and son Telemachus. The story’s themes of perseverance, cunning, loyalty and the struggle against fate have resonated across centuries and continue to inspire adaptations and reinterpretations across art forms.