The Odyssey (2026): Christopher Nolan's Cast, Release Date, and Everything Confirmed

Christopher Nolan''s first film after Oppenheimer adapts Homer''s Odyssey for Universal Pictures, releasing in IMAX on July 17, 2026. The ensemble cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong''o, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Samantha Morton, Himesh Patel, and Bill Irwin. It is reportedly the most expensive film of Nolan''s career, with an estimated production budget around 250 million dollars, and the first feature ever shot entirely with IMAX 70mm cameras.

If you have been hunting for cast confirmations, IMAX ticket logistics, or a sober breakdown of what is and is not verified, here is a clean run-through built from publicly reported sources as of June 2026.

Release date and the IMAX 70mm rollout

Universal has locked The Odyssey for a wide theatrical release on July 17, 2026. The film is positioned as the studio''s tentpole event of the summer, opening in IMAX, premium large format, and standard theaters on the same day.

What makes the rollout unusual is the film stock. The Odyssey is the first feature shot end to end on IMAX 70mm cameras, which means the highest fidelity presentation requires an IMAX 70mm projector. There are only a small number of those in the world, and U.S. opening weekend tickets for those 70mm shows sold out almost immediately. Reports placed the first 12 hours of presales for those specific screens at roughly 1.5 million dollars from about 22 venues.

For everyone else, the film plays in:

• IMAX digital (often called LIE-MAX), a wider rollout that retains the expanded IMAX aspect ratio for full-frame sequences.
• 70mm standard prints at select repertory and flagship cinemas.
• Premium large format and Dolby Cinema, with most chains carrying the film.
• Standard digital screenings in regular theaters worldwide.

For international audiences who want the IMAX experience, major metros with true IMAX screens are the safer bet for ticket availability. Expect bookings to open closer to early July 2026.

Confirmed cast and characters

One of the reasons audiences have been searching nonstop is the sheer size of the ensemble. Here is the confirmed lineup as reported by Universal, Variety, Deadline, and the film''s public materials.

• Matt Damon as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca trying to find his way home after the Trojan War.
• Tom Holland as Telemachus, the son who has grown up without his father and now hunts for him.
• Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Odysseus''s wife, holding Ithaca together while suitors close in.
• Zendaya as Athena, the goddess of wisdom who quietly stewards Odysseus''s fate.
• Charlize Theron as Calypso, the nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island.
• Lupita Nyong''o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, a dual role connecting the war and its aftermath.
• Robert Pattinson as Antinous, the ringleader of the suitors back in Ithaca.
• Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Helen''s husband and the king whose wife''s departure triggered the war.
• Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek forces at Troy.
• John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, the loyal swineherd who shelters Odysseus on his return.
• Bill Irwin as Polyphemus, the cyclops whose run-in with Odysseus sets much of the journey in motion.
• Samantha Morton as Circe, the enchantress of Aeaea.
• Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, second-in-command on Odysseus''s ship.
• Mia Goth as Melantho, a servant in Odysseus''s household.

Elliot Page and Will Yun Lee are also listed in supporting roles, with Page''s character not publicly named at the time of writing. We are treating Matthias Schoenaerts'' involvement as unconfirmed until Universal lists him in official materials.

Nolan''s first epic and how it compares to Oppenheimer

Nolan has worked at scale before, including the time-bending action of Tenet and the global war canvas of Dunkirk, but The Odyssey is being framed by the director as his first proper mythic epic. Oppenheimer was an interior film about a man and the moral weight of a decision. The Odyssey is the opposite assignment: an exterior film about a man trying to physically get back to his life.

From the footage Universal has shown so far, the visual approach leans heavily on:

• Practical sets, including the Trojan horse sequence shown at CinemaCon in April 2026.
• Real locations shot with full IMAX rigs, which is unusual because of how heavy and noisy those cameras are.
• Natural light photography from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who shot Oppenheimer, Dunkirk, and Tenet for Nolan.

If Oppenheimer felt like a chamber piece in IMAX, The Odyssey looks like a postcard from the ancient Mediterranean rendered at the largest film resolution ever attempted for a wide release. Expect the format to do real work for sequences involving the sea, the cyclops cave, and the underworld of Hades.

Where The Odyssey was filmed

Production ran from February through August 2025 across an unusually wide spread of countries. Confirmed filming locations include:

• Morocco: Ait Benhaddou near Ouarzazate stood in for Troy in the opening sequence. Essaouira and Marrakesh were also used.
• Greece: The Messenia region of the Peloponnese, including Pylos, Methoni Castle, Almyrolakkos beach at Yialova, and Nestor''s Cave at Voidokilia, which doubled for the cyclops Polyphemus sequence.
• Italy: The Aegadian Islands in Sicily, with Favignana believed to be the goat island from the poem.
• Scotland: Culbin Forest and Findlater Castle in July 2025.
• Iceland: Black sand beaches at Landeyjahofn, the Hjorleifshofdi promontory, the Markarfljot river, and the Snaefellsnes peninsula, reportedly used for the underworld of Hades sequence.
• Other reported sites: Malta, Western Sahara, and soundstage work in Los Angeles.

The geographic spread matches the source poem in spirit. The Odyssey is, structurally, a travel narrative, and shooting it on location rather than building everything on stages is a clear Nolan choice.

What we know about the plot

The film adapts Homer''s Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic that picks up after the fall of Troy. The core arc is straightforward: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, tries to sail home to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. The gods complicate that plan, and a ten-year journey turns into a tour of monsters, witches, storms, and one stop in the land of the dead.

From publicly released footage and Universal''s marketing, we can confidently say the film will include:

• A Trojan horse sequence at the start, treated as a prologue to the main journey.
• The encounter with Polyphemus the cyclops.
• Time with Calypso on her island.
• A passage involving Circe and her transformations.
• A sequence in the underworld.
• The return to Ithaca and the confrontation with Penelope''s suitors.

What we do not know publicly is how Nolan structures the timeline. Nolan films often play with non-linear storytelling, and there is open speculation that The Odyssey may frame parts of the journey as flashbacks told to Telemachus or to the Phaeacians, as the poem does. Treat that as unconfirmed until the film actually releases.

What audiences are searching for

Search interest around the film has spiked since the December 2025 prologue and the April 2026 CinemaCon footage. The top questions running through Google and YouTube right now are predictable but worth answering directly.

• Is Tom Holland playing Telemachus. Yes. This was confirmed early in casting announcements.
• Is The Odyssey based on a book. Yes. It adapts Homer''s ancient Greek epic poem, written around the 8th century BCE.
• How long is The Odyssey. The official runtime has not been released as of June 2026. Industry chatter has floated figures in the 150 to 180 minute range, but treat any specific number as unconfirmed.
• Will it be on streaming. Not at launch. As a Universal release, it will eventually land on Peacock after its theatrical window, typically 45 days for general availability and longer for premium tier.
• Is this Nolan''s most expensive film. Reportedly yes, with a budget around 250 million dollars before marketing.

Frequently asked questions

When does The Odyssey come out

The Odyssey releases in theaters on July 17, 2026, with simultaneous IMAX 70mm, IMAX digital, premium large format, and standard screenings.

Who plays Odysseus in Nolan''s Odyssey

Matt Damon plays Odysseus, the king of Ithaca whose ten-year journey home from the Trojan War forms the spine of the story.

Who plays Telemachus

Tom Holland plays Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope. The character has grown up without his father and sets out to find him as the film begins.

Is The Odyssey based on a book

Yes. It is adapted from Homer''s Odyssey, an ancient Greek epic poem composed roughly in the 8th century BCE. The poem follows Odysseus on his journey home after the fall of Troy.

How long is The Odyssey movie

Universal has not officially confirmed the runtime as of June 2026. Reports have suggested a length in the range of two and a half to three hours, but no figure is official yet. We will update once the studio confirms.

Where to watch The Odyssey

At launch, only in theaters. After its theatrical window, the film is expected to stream on Peacock in the United States as a Universal title. International streaming windows will vary.

Is Tom Holland in The Odyssey

Yes. Tom Holland is confirmed as Telemachus, his first collaboration with Christopher Nolan.

What to watch next

• Oppenheimer (2023): Nolan''s previous film and the obvious benchmark for The Odyssey''s scale. Available on Peacock in the U.S. and on rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV in most regions.
• Dunkirk (2017): Nolan''s last large-scale action film and the closest stylistic cousin to what The Odyssey looks like it will deliver in its sea sequences. Stream on Max in the U.S.
• Troy (2004): Wolfgang Petersen''s adaptation of the Iliad, useful background for the Trojan War prologue. Available on Max in the U.S. and on Prime Video in many regions.
• Gladiator II (2024): Ridley Scott''s recent return to the ancient world, the closest tonal counterpart in modern Hollywood epics. Stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.
• O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000): The Coen brothers'' loose Odyssey riff, a useful contrast to Nolan''s reverent approach. Rent on Prime Video or Apple TV in most regions.

The Odyssey arrives July 17, 2026. For more streaming guides, browse our blog, or use The Movies Finder to find your next watch.