Christopher Nolan's new The Odyssey trailer: 5 moments we need to break down

We're headed into a summer blockbuster season that will see all sorts of major film releases – from Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day to Pixar's hotly-anticipated Toy Story 5 – but there's no doubting that Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the headliner.

Fresh from his multi-Oscar winning triumph with Oppenheimer, hype for a new Nolan project is greater than ever, and combining his directing chops with a hugely impressive ensemble cast and one of the most revered texts ever written seems a sure fire recipe for success.

Well, now we've been given our most detailed look yet at the film, thanks to the release of a brand new trailer.

Teasing some of the epic action to come – including a glimpse at the cyclops and a battle with giant soldiers – as well as hinting at the political machinations back in Ithaca, with a good look at Robert Pattinson as the scheming Antinous, there's certainly a lot to unpack from the footage.

You can watch the trailer in full below – and scroll down for 5 key talking points that we've picked out:

5 moments to break down from The Odyssey trailer

Odysseus's interaction with Calypso

The trailer begins with a particularly broken-down looking Odysseus (Matt Damon) having an interaction with the nymph Calypso, who is played by Charlize Theron.

"Tell me what you remember," she asks him, to which he replies, "A wife, a son..." before she presses: "And then what?"

"We won the war," he responds, as we get some glimpses of his time in battle. He then rather desperately asks: "Help me go home."

It is clear from this interaction that Nolan will very much be digging into the mental turmoil Odysseus has to contend with in addition to the more physical challenges – he looks a man on the verge of giving up.

Antinous's scheming back in Ithaca

While Odysseus's journey is obviously the most epic part of the film, it's only really half of the story – with plenty of the action also set to take place in his homeland of Ithaca, where his son Telemachus (Tom Holland) and wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) have been left behind.

One of the key elements of this section concerns the suitors vying to replace Odysseus and take Penelope's hand in marriage, with those men led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson).

"This is a household waiting for a master," we see him explain early in the trailer. "I want you to choose me." When Penelope tells him that "Ithaca's king is coming back," he bluntly responds: "No he's not."

Later, we see him tell Telemachus: "You're pining for a daddy you didn't even know, like some snivelling b*****d."

There's a nice sense of sinister menace to this exchange, and Pattinson certainly seems well-suited to the role; it looks like this part of the drama could be a very compelling counterpart to the more overtly action-packed elements.

The cyclops

Of course, we know that Odysseus faces all sorts of threats from a variety of mythological beasts and hostile environments on his trek – and none of these are more legendary than the cyclops.

The one-eyed monster is very briefly seen, with Odysseus declaring "I think it's asleep" at the end of the trailer, before it proves anything but – with a giant hand reaching out to grab him.

For now it appears that we have to make do with just little glimpses of the beast – an understandable decision from the studio – but those are enough to very much whet our appetite for what seems set to be one of the film's central set pieces.

The giant soldiers

Speaking of epic set pieces, one of Odysseus's tribulations that we do see a little more of is the showdown that he and his men have with an army of giant soldiers – wearing gleaming suits of silver armour.

This is certainly one of the more visually striking sequences we see in the trailer, with the fearsome fighters seen walking into view in rather intimidating fashion before brutally dispatching some of Odysseus's army, chucking them effortlessly against trees and casually beheading them.

It's one of many scenes we can't wait to see play out in all its glory; just how does Odysseus get his way out of this one?

Where is Zendaya's Athena?

So those are some of the things that we did see in the trailer – but there is still plenty being kept back for now. Perhaps the most notable absence in the trailer is that of Zendaya, who will be playing the Greek goddess Athena in the film.

Athena, the god of wisdom and warfare, will have a pretty major role in the events of the film as she aids Odysseus on his long journey home, but for now we have to make do with the image above – which shows her in her mortal form – as the only official glimpse we've had so far.

There are a fair few other members of the star-studded cast who we're still waiting to see, but for now the trailer has struck a pretty good balance of giving us plenty to chew on while also leaving us with lots to look forward to.

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

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