Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey: Release date, plot and trailer for epic film

A new Christopher Nolan film is always liable to provoke a fair amount of excited chatter from cinephiles – and the latest trailer for his upcoming epic The Odyssey has certainly got the internet talking.

For a great many film fans, the trailer – which was released on Tuesday 5 May – has only further whetted their appetite ahead of Nolan's take on Homer's iconic text, but many others have taken issues with certain elements of the trailer.

Frequent areas of complaint have centred around the use of American accents and the perceived use of modern lingo in the screenplay, this despite the fact that we naturally have no idea what an Ancient Greek accent might have sounded like. In other words, it's not a complaint that holds much water.

Still, what the trailer did do is give us a greater idea of the scope and scale of the production, with our best look yet at the star-studded cast and some of the major set pieces including whirlpools, giant soldiers and, of course, the cyclops.

Interestingly, we also recently learned that the film would have a shorter runtime than Nolan's Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, although given that one ran to three hours, that doesn't mean that The Odyssey will be short by any means.

The new trailer follows the first official trailer for the film which arrived just ahead of Christmas, which while a five-minute prologue of Nolan's film played in front of the main feature at some IMAX showings of Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Of course, the film boasts an incredibly starry ensemble cast including key roles for Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway in addition to Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel and Mia Goth.

While we'll be eagerly awaiting further updates between now and the film's summer release, there's probably already more than enough to go on to reassure us that this looks like being another triumph for the beloved director.

So, when can fans expect to see it? And what exactly is the film about? Read on for everything you need to know.

The Odyssey release date

Universal revealed in their announcement that the film is set to arrive on Friday 17 July 2026 — and it was later confirmed that the UK would be matching the US release date.

Of course, it's no surprise that the film will arrive at the height of summer, with that time of year having long been favoured by Nolan, even when it came to the release of Tenet at the height of the pandemic.

Oppenheimer also arrived in mid-July – famously on the same day as Barbie – and no film fan will need a reminder of how successful that film proved to be.

Currently, there are no other films set to be released on the same day as The Odyssey – so it seems unlikely there will be another Barbenheimer-style double bill phenomenon this time around.

The Odyssey plot

The Odyssey is one of the most famous texts ever written in any language – originating as an Ancient Greek epic poem dating to the 8th century BC and attributed to Homer.

Divided into 24 books, it tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War.

The journey itself lasts an additional 10 years, as Odysseus has to contend with plenty of perilous hurdles, while his wife Penelope and son Telemachus also have to contend with their own fair share of problems as suitors contend for Penelope's hand in marriage while Odysseus is presumed dead.

It's safe to say that a lot happens in the story, so Nolan certainly won't have a shortage of material to work with, but it remains to be seen exactly how much of the poem the film will cover – and whether it will be set in Ancient Greece or perhaps adapted to a different place and time period.

One thing that's for sure is that he'll be able to draw on a huge variety of previous films based on the poem – which was first adapted as a silent film by Italian director Giuseppe de Liguoro in 1911 and most recently served as the inspiration for the 2024 film The Return, which stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche and was based on just the second half of the text.

So far, none of the adaptations have quite endured as beloved classics – we can't wait to see how this version measures up...

It certainly looks like the cast appreciated the experience, with Holland telling GQ last summer that it was "the job of a lifetime" and teasing that "the movie is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen."

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures’ president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, praised Nolan's "visionary take" on the story of The Odyssey during the studio's presentation at Cinemacon, noting that "this film will be a once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would be very proud of."

And if you were doubting just how epic the picture might be, Nolan told Empire in November 2025 that, staggeringly, he had "shot over two million feet of film" for the movie, claiming that he had accomplished "things that haven’t been done before."

The Odyssey cast

The cast for the film looks set to be extremely star-studded – even by Nolan's own lofty standards.

It's been confirmed that Matt Damon will star as Odysseus, Tom Holland as his son Telemachus, and Anne Hathaway as his wife Penelope.

Meanwhile Zendaya will play Athena, the goddess of wisdom, war, and handicraft, Robert Pattinson stars as Antinous, one of Penelope's suitors, and Charlize Theron takes on the role of Circe a goddess and witch

Meanwhile, there have been a slew of other casting announcements since, including both previous Nolan collaborators and those working with him for the first time, with the confirmed list consisting of (deep breath): Lupita Nyong'o, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia and Will Yun Lee.

Filling out the rest of the cast are Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Nick E Tarabay, Jimmy Gonzales, Maurice Compte, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg, Josh Stewart, and Ryan Hurst.

Meanwhile, one actor who was previously cast but eventually left the film is Shogun's Cosmo Jarvis, who pulled out due to a scheduling conflict and was replaced by Logan Marshall-Green.

Given the film is telling such an epic story, there could still be more cast members to be announced in due course – if we catch wind of anyone else who will star, and when we learn the actors' roles, we'll update this page accordingly.

We'll keep this page updated when it become clear which stars will be playing which roles.

Is there a trailer for The Odyssey?

Yes – more than one! The most recent trailer – which you can find below – arrived on 5 May.

The first official trailer for the film was released in December 2025, comprising just under two minutes of footage and giving us a close look at Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as Telemachus while setting the scene for the epic. Check it out below:

Previously, a teaser that had screened ahead of Jurassic World: Rebirth in cinemas leaked ahead of its official debut. The studio moved quickly to take it down, but it was online long enough to reveal a few intriguing details about the hotly anticipated film.

Meanwhile, the longest look at the film so far – a 5-minute prologue – has also been shown in cinemas ahead of IMAX screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash. We're sure we'll get a few more glimpses of new footage between now and the film's July release, so keep checking back here for all the latest updates.

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

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