Universal Pictures has unveiled a sweeping trailer for the star-studded ‘The Odyssey’ movie, which was filmed across the globe and entirely on large-format IMAX film cameras.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was released online today, offering a first look at the massive scale of the legendary Greek saga with its star-studded cast and signature Nolan grandeur, promising an IMAX experience for the 2026 release.
‘The Odyssey’ movie logo. Credit: Universal Pictures
Based on Homer’s epic poem, Nolan’s film follows the journey of the Greek king Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
“After years of war, no one could stand between my men and home,” Odysseus says in the trailer. “Not even me.”
Greek soldiers pulling the legendary ‘Trojan Horse’ onto the shores of Troy. Credit: Universal Pictures
The trailer, released on Universal Pictures YouTube channel, features impressive footage of shipwrecks, giant beasts (Cyclops), mythical encounters (Sirens, Circe), and immense ocean vistas, alongside glimpses of Tom Holland (Telemachus) and Anne Hathaway (Penelope) back in Ithaca, ending with Penelope’s plea, “Promise me you will come back,” and Odysseus’s ominous reply, “What if I can’t?”
Image courtesy Universal Pictures
The Odyssey is the first film to be shot entirely in IMAX, using 70mm cameras and real-world locations to avoid digital effects as much as possible. According to Empire magazine, Nolan shot the film in 91 days, which amounts to 60,000 meters of film. The process, described by the director as “almost primal,” included scenes filmed at sea.
Image courtesy Universal Pictures
Nolan recently outlined his reasons for picking the project in an interview with Empire magazine, the Oscar-winning director said:
“As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with – Ray Harryhausen movies and other things – I had never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood IMAX production could achieve.”
The Trojan War was a legendary 10-year conflict ending with the Greeks’ cunning victory using the Trojan Horse, a plan devised by the hero Odysseus. Credit: Universal Pictures
“By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways, because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you,” Nolan added.
Image courtesy Universal Pictures
The cast also features Mia Goth as Melantho, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, and Elliot Page.
The trailer positions The Odyssey as a definitive, modern take on the classic myth, using cutting-edge technology to deliver a visually stunning and emotionally powerful adventure film. Check it out below!
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