The Odyssey: Cast, release date, what is it, and everything we know so far, explained | Everything we know about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, including the cast, release date, and why it’s such a big deal

We finally have the first trailer for Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming blockbuster, The Odyssey.

The critically acclaimed director is back for the first time since 2023’s Oppenheimer, which grossed around $US975 million ($1.3 billion) worldwide, was nominated for 13 Oscars and ultimately took home seven, including Best Director and Best Picture.

And while it might sound hard to beat, critics are already predicting The Odyssey is going to knock Oppenheimer out of the park.

Watch the video above.

With an absolutely stacked A-list cast, it is predicted to be one of the biggest – if not the biggest – box office hits of 2026, with experts estimating it could bring in more than $1 billion worldwide.

So, if you’re eager to find out what all the fuss is about, we’ve compiled everything we know so far about The Odyssey, including the A-list cast, release date, and why it’s going to be such a big deal.

Keep reading to find out more.

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The Odyssey cast and roles

In April, when Nolan told Cinemacon attendees that if he had brought the cast with him, “the massive weight of extraordinary talent would have collapsed the stage,” he really wasn’t kidding.

Matt Damon as Odysseus

Matt Damon leads the cast as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, who embarks on a treacherous journey home after a decade spent fighting the Trojan War.

This will be Damon’s third time working with Nolan (Interstellar, 2014 and Oppenheimer, 2023), so it’s no shock he was called up to tackle the role of one of mythology’s most complex heroes.

“It was absolutely the pinnacle of my entire career,” Damon told Jimmy Fallon of the experience.

“I’ve never, ever done a movie that just required every single person to work to kind of give the maximum effort.

“I said to [Ben Affleck] every location on that movie would have been the hardest location on any other movie I’ve ever done, and any day of work would have been harder than any other day on any other movie I’ve ever done.”

Anne Hathaway as Penelope

Starring opposite Damon is one of this year’s busiest stars, appearing in a whopping five movies in 2026 – Anne Hathaway. 

Hathaway stars as Penelope, Odysseus’ loyal wife, holding down the fort in Ithaca. She’s spent years defending her husband’s throne, but the vultures are circling as people begin to question if he will ever return.

Like Damon, she has also worked with Nolan twice before – on 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises and 2014’s Interstellar.

She’s previously referred to Nolan as an “angel” in terms of her career, crediting him as one of the only people in Hollywood willing to give her work during the period the internet turned against her following her Oscar win for Les Misérables.

“A lot of people wouldn’t give me roles because they were so concerned about how toxic my identity had become online,” Hathaway told Vanity Fair in 2024.

“I had an angel in Christopher Nolan, who did not care about that and gave me one of the most beautiful roles I’ve had in one of the best films that I’ve been a part of [Interstellar].”

Tom Holland as Telemachus

Tom Holland stars as Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope and the Prince of Ithaca. He’s grown up without his father, and now the war is over he’s determined to find him.

Holland told GQ the film is his “proudest achievement as an actor” and thanked Nolan for the opportunity to be involved.

”I can tell you that it is an absolute masterpiece, and I’m taking myself out of that equation,” he told the publication.

“Chris Nolan’s movie is fantastic. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before.”

July is set to be a big month for Holland, with The Odyssey releasing on the same day as his other big blockbuster, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Robert Pattinson as Antinous

After watching the trailer, we have to admit we are 100 per cent sat for evil Robert Pattinson.

The Twilight alum stars as Antinous, an arrogant and persistent suitor vying for Penelope’s hand and, in turn, her husband’s throne.

This will be one of three major blockbusters for Pattinson this year – and in each, he stars alongside Zendaya.

Zendaya as Athena

It seems that when casting this film, Nolan simply went in search of the busiest A-listers he could find. This will be one of five major projects for Zendaya this year.

The actress stars as Athena, the daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, warfare, handicraft and reason.

Zendaya’s role highlights the impact of fantasy in the film as she intervenes with Odysseus’ journey home – for better or worse.

In this film, Zendaya appears alongside her on-screen husband from The Drama, Pattinson, but also her real-life fiancé (rumoured to now be her husband), Tom Holland.

Charlize Theron as Calypso

Charlize Theron stars as a nymph named Calypso who resides on the island of Ogygia.

It’s hard to describe her character without giving too much away; she walks a fine line between loyalty and control.

Others

Other major stars set to appear in the film include Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Elliot Page and Travis Scott.

What is the story of The Odyssey?

According to Nolan himself, The Odyssey is “not a story, it’s the story”. 

Based on the ancient Greek poem attributed to Homer, The Odyssey tells the mythological story surrounding the aftermath of the Trojan War. 

The film is said to be told through a non-linear structure, with Nolan explaining that the original poem starts halfway through the story.

It is also expected to follow a dual narrative structure, flipping between Odysseus and his journey home and Telemachus and his battle to protect his father’s throne back in Ithaca.

It’s expected to focus on the family’s emotional journey woven through Odysseus’ epic adventure, encountering several mythical creatures from cyclopses and sirens to gods and enchantresses.

How long will The Odyssey be?

Nolan isn’t known to shy away from a long runtime, with The Odyssey reportedly falling just short of three hours. 

Why is it The Odyssey a big deal?

Well, where do we start?

First of all, any movie by Nolan is sure to create some hype, even one that takes as big a swing as The Odyssey does.

Then, there’s the cast. It’s probably safe to say very few, if any, movies these days can attract as many A-listers as The Odyssey has, and there’s got to be a reason for that, right?

Director and cast aside, The Odyssey is set to be a major blockbuster at a time when critics are questioning if the blockbuster is a dying art form.

It’s an epic, mythical action quest told by a director known for his grand-scale spectacle and technical precision.

So, when you give him a $250 million budget and one of literature’s oldest stories, it’s sure to be something worth seeing.

Then, there’s also the fact The Odyssey is reportedly the first film to ever be shot entirely on 70mm IMAX film cameras.

This means the film won’t alternate aspect ratios in the way movies such as Oppenheimer and Dune do, instead filling the entire size of an IMAX screen throughout – reportedly providing a full 180-degree field of view, completely immersing audiences in the story.

“As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before,” Nolan told Empire magazine. 

The Odyssey release date

The Odyssey is set to hit Australian cinemas on July 16, but if you want tickets for opening weekend, you’d better get in quick.

Tickets for the film first went on sale exactly one year ahead of its release date on July 16, 2025.

IMAX released tickets to the 26 cinemas around the world with the staff and equipment to show the film in its full 1570 format, the largest and highest resolution currently in existence.

According to The Guardian, the day after tickets went on sale, IMAX Melbourne had already sold 1,800 tickets across its four available screenings. 

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