Christopher Nolan has done it again. After winning Oscars for Oppenheimer, the director is diving headfirst into ancient myth with The Odyssey, and the newly released official trailer is already being hailed as one of the best of 2026. Forget subtle teasers—this is a full-blown cinematic declaration that Nolan is ready to conquer the Greek epic with IMAX cameras and a budget that would make a studio accountant weep.
The trailer gives audiences their clearest look yet at Nolan's adaptation of Homer's classical poem. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca, who must fight his way home after the Trojan War. The footage teases a journey filled with war, shipwrecks, and mythological threats like the Cyclops, all while Odysseus struggles to return to his wife Penelope and the son who has grown up without him. The film is set to hit theaters on July 17, 2026.
This isn't just a war epic—it's a family drama at its core. The trailer shows Damon's Odysseus battling impossible odds, while Penelope (Anne Hathaway) faces mounting pressure at home and their son Telemachus (Tom Holland) searches for his missing father. Expect ships, monsters, and plenty of sandal-clad men making terrible decisions.
Nolan, fresh off his Best Director and Best Picture wins, seems to have said, "Why not go full fantasy?" The result is a historical epic that retells one of the oldest stories in Western literature, all shot on IMAX. The scale is enormous, and the hype is only growing.
Who Stars in 'The Odyssey'?
The cast is hilariously stacked. Alongside Damon, the ensemble includes Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Charlize Theron as Calypso, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, and Benny Safdie. It's a lineup that could carry a dozen films on its own.
For fans of Nolan's earlier work, this feels like a natural evolution. His mind-bending revenge thriller Memento may be leaving HBO Max soon, but The Odyssey promises to be a very different kind of masterpiece—one that leans into spectacle and myth rather than psychological puzzles.
If the trailer is any indication, The Odyssey will be one of the biggest cinematic events of 2026. Mark your calendars for July 17.
