Christopher Nolan’s upcoming star-studded movie is called The Odyssey

For his next big project The Odyssey, director Christopher Nolan will take notes from the Greek epic of the same name written by Homer. He will be adapting the 2,000-year-old story into a movie with Universal Pictures. The movie is reported to star critically acclaimed actors like Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron.

Nolan's The Odyssey will take us back to ancient Greece in July 2026, when the movie is set to debut. It follows the tale of Odysseus’ 10-year journey back home after the Trojan War, a significant landmark in the history of ancient Greece.

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Universal Pictures announces The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan

In a Twitter post dated December 24, Universal Pictures announced the movie and its release date:

“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.”

The movie is slated for release in the summer of 2026, two years after the success of his latest blockbuster, Oppenheimer, which took home the best picture and best director at the Academy Awards this year, among other accolades.

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What do we know about The Odyssey?

Apart from revealing the release date and the star-studded cast list, the studio has not made other associated details of the movie public. Tom Holland, who admitted to signing on to the project last week, noted that he is unaware of many details about the movie. He said on The Dish podcast, which was also reported by The Deadline on December 20, 2024:

"It hasn’t started shooting. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know anything about it. I’m super excited. Everything is very very hush hush. I met with [Nolan]. It was awesome. He kind of loosely pitched what it was. And I’m sure when he’s ready, he’ll announce what it is.”

As of now, the studio is projecting a production start date of sometime in the beginning of 2025. Christopher Nolan will be directing and writing the project and he will also produce the movie with Emma Thomas under their Syncopy banner.

While a plot synopsis is not available yet, it is expected to follow the story of The Odyssey quite closely. This epic written in the eighth Century BC is one of the oldest pieces of literature which is still read today widely. It chronicles the journey home of the Greek hero Odysseus after the Trojan War.

This epic has been adapted many times to the big screen. There is a 1911 silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro and also a satirical comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which is loosely based on the epic. In 2024 The Return starring Ralph Fiennes also adapted sections from this epic.

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Watch this space for more updates on The Odyssey.