July 6, 2026 (Odeon Luxe Leicester Square)
July 17, 2026 (United States and United Kingdom)
The Odyssey is a 2026 epic action fantasy film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who produced it with his wife Emma Thomas. An adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey, it stars an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. In the film, Odysseus (Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, undergoes a long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War and encounters mythical beings as he attempts to reunite with his wife Penelope (Hathaway).
Nolan began writing the script in March 2024 and secured the project with Universal Pictures by October. The Odyssey was announced in December. Casting took place from late 2024 through early 2025, and Damon was confirmed for the lead role in February 2025. Nolan studied several translations of the Odyssey. He depicted a realistic interpretation of Greek mythology, drawing inspiration from the epic historical films Andrei Rublev (1966) and Ran (1985), as well as the films of special effects artist Ray Harryhausen. Filming took place from February to August 2025 in Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara, and Malta, as well as at the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles. With an estimated budget of $250 million, it is among the most expensive films of Nolan's career, and the first feature film ever to be shot entirely on IMAX's 70 mm film cameras.
The Odyssey premiered at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on July 6, 2026, ahead of a theatrical release by Universal Pictures on July 17 in the US and the UK. It was made available in IMAX and multiple premium large formats. The film received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for Nolan's direction. It has grossed $328 million and set numerous records for Nolan, including for some premium format pre-sales that were released a year in advance.
Storyline
Ithaca has long since been without its king Odysseus, who disappeared following the Trojan War. Several suitors, including nobleman Antinous, aggressively court Odysseus's wife Penelope to claim the throne from Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus. Only Penelope, Telemachus, and half-blind servant Eumaeus still believe Odysseus will return. Telemachus travels with his teacher and bodyguard, Odysseus's friend Mentor, to Menelaus, King of Sparta, to discover his father's whereabouts. Antinous learns this and conspires with other suitors to kill Telemachus upon his return and plunder Ithaca. Menelaus and his wife Helen express uncertainty about Odysseus's fate but offer Telemachus stories about him. Rumors abound that Greek civilization is in decline due to attacks by murderous "people from the sea" who violate Zeus's law—the mutual respect between guests and hosts.
After departing Ithaca, Odysseus and the Greeks spend ten years besieging Troy. Odysseus masterminds a plan to hide inside a large wooden horse to sneak into Troy, with Sinon left behind to present the horse as a gift. Sinon is killed, but the deception succeeds; the Greeks open the gates for Menelaus's older brother, Agamemnon, to sack Troy and retrieve Helen. Agamemnon and Menelaus return home early, while Odysseus's army, including second-in-command Eurylochus, follow a slower route. When searching an island for supplies, they are trapped in a cave by the cyclops Polyphemus, who feasts upon the soldiers. Eventually, they blind Polyphemus and escape, only to hear him cry out to his father Poseidon, who curses the crew with harsh sea conditions. They then land on Aeaea, where giant Laestrygonians kill most of their party. The survivors rebel, leaving Odysseus with their ship as they seek refuge with the witch Circe, who turns them into pigs. After Odysseus persuades her to change his men back, Circe warns that to reach Ithaca, Odysseus must cross Oceanus into Hades.
Odysseus meets the shade of Tiresias, who predicts that, by divine will, only Odysseus will return home. Odysseus also encounters Sinon's shade, who reproaches Odysseus for causing his death, and reveals Antinous's treachery; he was manipulated into taking Antinous's place in the Greek army. Lastly, Agamemnon's shade reveals that his wife Clytemnestra murdered him upon his return as revenge for sacrificing their daughter, Iphigenia, to Artemis for fair seas. Chased from Hades by Odysseus's fallen army, Odysseus and various crewmen follow Tiresias's guidance to survive encounters with Charybdis, Scylla, and the Sirens. On Thrinacia, Odysseus warns his men not to kill the cattle of the Sun God, as Tiresias foretold Odysseus's men would die from doing so, but the starving men slaughter the cattle. When they set sail, Poseidon's storms sink the ship, killing all but Odysseus. He washes ashore on Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso, infatuated with him, drugs him with amnesia-inducing lotus flowers.
Seven years later, Calypso feels pity for Odysseus's longing for his family, and aids him in remembering his past. She instructs Odysseus to make a raft and give himself to the sea, facing Poseidon's punishment. He miraculously washes ashore in Ithaca, learning from Eumaeus that suitors sent mercenaries to assassinate Telemachus and Mentor. Mentor dies, but Odysseus rescues Telemachus and kills the assassins, naming himself "Sinon". After Odysseus's old dog Argos recognizes him, Argos peacefully dies; Telemachus recognizes Odysseus as his father. During a tense feast, Odysseus shows Antinous he knows Antinous betrayed Sinon; Antinous thrashes Odysseus before Penelope intervenes. After the meal, still disguised, he confesses to Penelope his guilt for violating Zeus's law, killing innocent Trojans, and desecrating Athena's statue after killing her priestess: Athena had assumed the priestess's form to punish him in visions. He further reveals that the rumored attackers from the sea were the Greeks themselves, and begs Penelope's forgiveness. Penelope announces her readiness to remarry and instructs the suitors to return at dawn.
Penelope declares she will marry whoever can string Odysseus's bow and shoot an arrow through a row of axe heads. The suitors all fail, but Odysseus succeeds and reveals his identity. The hall erupts in battle, Odysseus slaying the challenging suitors. Melanthius, Melantho's brother, attempts to arm the men through a hole in the ceiling, but Telemachus kills him. As the remaining suitors surrender, Odysseus kills Antinous. Odysseus cedes his throne to Telemachus and leaves Ithaca with Penelope to seek peace in exile, sailing west to honor his dead soldiers. The pair expect civilization's renewal, and muse that time will forget Odysseus's mistakes.
Also See
- The Odyssey (2026) (Trailers)
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Goat Baas Close Persp PE025101
- Sound Ideas, CHEERING, CROWD - OUTDOOR: SMALL GROUP, AUDIENCE