Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey first-look trailer leaks online – but what does it actually tell us?

While the studio has been quick to remove any trace of the teaser from the internet before it officially releases it, it was up long enough for us to glean certain details about the hugely anticipated film, which is set for a high-profile cinema release next summer.

The suitably dramatic clip begins with a shot of the ocean, with a voice heard saying: "Darkness. Zeus’ law smashed to pieces. A kingdom without a king since my master died. He knew it was an unwinnable war. And then, somehow, somehow he won it."

We then get a look at Tom Holland in the role of Telemachus, as we find him searching for his father Odysseus – declaring that he "has to find out what happened" to him.

After he asks a character played by Jon Bernthal if he's seen him, he is told that he hasn't since the Trojan War, but that there are plenty of conflicting rumours circulating as to what he is up to these days.

"Some say he’s rich. Some say he’s poor. Some say he perished. Some say he’s imprisoned," Bernthal says, before he muses: "What kind of prison could hold a man like that?”

At the very end of the trailer we get a glimpse of a man we can assume to be Odysseus himself, as he floats on the choppy seas on a piece of driftwood – it's safe to say he looks rather worse for wear.

Earlier in the year we were given a first look at Matt Damon in character as the iconic Greek king at a rather different stage of his epic journey, with a still showing him decked out in armour.

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Of course, Damon, Holland and the aforementioned Bernthal are just three members of a mammoth ensemble cast which includes several of the biggest A-listers in Hollywood, many of whose exact roles are still under wraps.

Among those confirmed to appear are Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton and Mia Goth – so there's certainly no shortage of star power.

The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War. Divided into 24 books, the tale includes Odysseus's encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens and the witch-goddess Circe.

The film is still in production and is being shot at numerous locations across the world using new IMAX film technology, and the new trailer gives just a small taste of some of the stunning visuals we can expect when it arrives in cinemas next year.

There are bound to be all sorts of further teases between now and then, but given Nolan's aforementioned penchant for secrecy, we're sure there will also be several surprises kept for the release.

The Odyssey will be released in cinemas on 17th July 2026.

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