The Odyssey: release date, cast and everything we know

Christopher Nolan (Image credit: JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

What is next for Christopher Nolan? Apparently an adaptation of one of the most epic stories in human history. The Oscar-winning director will follow up his Best Picture-winning Oppenheimer with an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, the classic Greek myth. What we know about it already promises, unsurprisingly, a star-studded story of epic proportions.

Nolan is one of the marquee filmmakers working today, particularly known to push the boundaries of what can be done (especially practically). That has included IMAX, which Nolan has helped make a key part of the moviegoing experience and by early reports could be pushing into new areas with The Odyssey.

When will The Odyssey premiere, who’s in it and what else do we know right now about the movie? Read on for the latest info on Nolan’s next movie.

The Odyssey release date

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is set to release on July 17, 2026.

Nolan’s movies are often big summer tentpoles, so the expectation will be for The Odyssey to join previous Nolan movies like The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk and Oppenheimer in making a splash at the July box office (and usually with critics and awards bodies as well).

The Odyssey cast

Nolan’s movies are never short on star power, and that is once again the case with The Odyssey, as a bunch of A-listers have been confirmed as part of The Odyssey cast.

Reuniting with Nolan on The Odyssey after previously working together are Matt Damon (Interstellar, Oppenheimer), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar) and Robert Pattinson (Tenet). Meanwhile, Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Lupita Nyong’o (A Quiet Place: Day One), Charlize Theron (Fast X) and Zendaya (Dune: Part Two) are all signed on for the movie and making their first appearances in a Nolan movie.

If any additional casting is announced we'll add the names here.

The Odyssey plot

The Odyssey is an epic poem by Homer, which historians estimate was written between 750-650 BC. Even so, it remains one of the most famous stories in the world, but if you need a reminder, here is the basics:

The Odyssey follows the Greek king Odysseus, who following the end of the Trojan War goes through an arduous 10-year journey to return home to his wife and child. Along the way he faces many different challenges and foes, including cyclopses, sirens and more.

Hollywood has used The Odyssey as source material a number of times, some straight adaptations and others as inspiration. An example of the latter is perhaps the most well known adaptation of The Odyssey, the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? We also just got another adaptation of Homer’s work in The Return, the 2024 movie starring Ralph Fiennes.

As he does with most of his movies, Nolan is writing the adaptation for The Odyssey.

The Odyssey trailer

There is no trailer for The Odyssey at this time, as production has yet to get underway. It will probably be a while (late 2025, or early 2026) before we get any footage, but when something becomes available we’ll add it here.

Christopher Nolan movies

Nolan is one of the most recognized filmmakers in the world right now, but in case you need a reminder of his work here is a full list of his feature directing credits to date:

Following (1998)
Memento (2000)
Insomnia (2002)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Inception (2010)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Interstellar (2014)
Dunkirk (2017)
Tenet (2020)
Oppenheimer (2023)

The Odyssey behind the scenes

In addition to directing and writing the movie, Nolan is also going to serve as a producer alongside his partner, Emma Thomas. Beyond that, we aren’t sure what other collaborators Nolan is working with right now.

What we do know is that this is going to be Nolan’s second straight movie at Universal Pictures. After a long relationship with Warner Bros., Nolan made Oppenheimer at Universal (reports indicated that the move was prompted by Nolan’s displeasure with Warner Bros. release strategies during the pandemic). He’s sticking with Universal for his latest.

Production on The Odyssey is expected to begin in 2025 and, unsurprisingly with Nolan, going to heavily use IMAX cameras. However, it is worth noting that in Universal’s announcement of the movie on social media they mentioned that The Odyssey will be “shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology.” That will be exciting to see what Nolan can do with this new tech.