The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer's epic, hits French cinemas on 15 July 2026. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film features Matt Damon in the title role of Ulysses, alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron.
The Odyssey
Film | 2026
In theatres: July 15, 2026
Action, fantasy
Directed by Christopher Nolan | Screenplay by Christopher Nolan
Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson
Original title: The Odyssey
Nationality: United States
This adaptation follows Odysseus after the Trojan War, as he fights to return to Ithaca and be reunited with Penelope. His voyage, at the very heart of Homer’s foundational epic, sails through perilous seas, encounters with mythic figures, and a long stretch of waiting at home, while his son Telemachus must contend with the suitors threatening their house.
The latest trailer pushes the scale of the story, with clashes, storms, creatures, and tensions surrounding Odysseus's homecoming. It also confirms the pivotal roles of several key characters: Telemachus, played by Tom Holland, Penelope, portrayed by Anne Hathaway, and Antinous, played by Robert Pattinson.
The movie extends Nolan's ongoing collaborations with familiar faces from his body of work, including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson. The ensemble also features Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth and John Leguizamo. The film's official site notes that The Odyssey was shot on analogue IMAX cameras, a cornerstone of the project's promised spectacle.
New trailer for The Odyssey:
By its subject matter, The Odyssey speaks to fans of Greek mythology, of epic narratives, and of grand adventure films. The project also fits within Nolan’s body of work built around time, waiting, and homecoming, already present in other forms in Interstellar or Dunkirk.
Our Review of Christopher Nolan's Odyssy:
With The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan pulls off the feat of translating a mythic epic into something that avoids the swashbuckling excess of a peplum. He cleanses the visuals of overstuffed spectacle to offer a version that stays close to the myth while trimming the costumes and sets, but reshapes the storytelling at the same time.
Here, we bid farewell to linear epic pacing: the director smartly breaks the rhythm, presenting two parallel narratives with intercutting for one of them (the episodes of Odysseus with Calypso) that include flashbacks recounting the king of Ithaca's adventures. Circe, the Cyclops, Poseidon's fury—nothing is missing in this three-hour film that feels compact. We even begin with a recap of events, ending the Trojan War.
Another notable point about the narration: beyond this particularly clever structural choice, the writing is meticulous, precise and forceful, especially in the transitions and the seamless flow of the tale.
A caveat on the sound design: some scenes (let's name them—the violent storm decimating Odysseus's ship and the Cyclops's roars) are extremely loud and jarringly abrasive to the ear, but that’s intentional. The idea, in our view, is to register “horror” with sounds intolerable to the human ear, underscoring a certain supernatural edge.
As for the casting, nothing out of place: the choices suit each character perfectly, though we could have liked to see more of Athena/Zendaya. A special nod to Robert Pattinson, deliciously cruel as Antinoös, and to Tom Holland in a convincingly embodied Telemachus.
A film worth seeing for Nolan fans... and for mythology lovers, of course.
To extend your movie theater experience, check out the July movie releases, browse the current must-see films, and explore our selection of action flicks and blockbusters of the year.
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