5 Minutes
Nolan’s Epic Returns: First Official Images Arrive
Empire magazine has unveiled the first official images from Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated film The Odyssey, offering a first look at what the director promises will be a mythic, large-format reimagining of Homer's classic. Two striking covers — one showing Matt Damon as Odysseus standing beside the Trojan Horse, another depicting the chaotic surge of warriors and the horse approaching a besieged city — suggest Nolan is leaning hard into spectacle, scale, and period detail.
What the images tell us
The newly released stills portray Odysseus and his crew mid-journey: weather-beaten sailors on towering seas, fleeting glimpses of island encounters, and the looming presence of ancient war machines. They reinforce Nolan's decision to shoot the film entirely on IMAX film cameras — a technical and creative choice that both preserves enormous image fidelity and signals an unmistakable intention for cinematic event viewing.
Nolan has revealed the production recorded more than two million feet of film. He told press that the project felt "fundamental": an attempt to tell mythic stories with the seriousness and grandeur of a major Hollywood production, but grounded in tangible, physical filmmaking. In his words, he wanted to find gaps in cinema culture — stories and approaches audiences haven't yet experienced on this scale.
Cast, locations and practical filmmaking
The Odyssey boasts an ensemble cast: Matt Damon (Odysseus), Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, John Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, and more. Shooting took place on location across the UK, Morocco, Greece, and Italy, with four months of real-world sea filming. Nolan emphasized that many actors went out to sea on functioning vessels to capture genuine reactions to storms, roll and pitch, and the unpredictable temperament of nature.
That commitment to practical effects and real locations recalls Nolan's approach to Dunkirk's immersive authenticity and Interstellar's blend of human drama with ambitious spectacle. But where Dunkirk was a taut survival drama and Interstellar a metaphysical science-fiction odyssey, The Odyssey promises to fold ancient myth into the visceral language of contemporary epic filmmaking.
Context and comparisons
Nolan cites classic stop-motion epics and filmmakers like Ray Harryhausen as inspirations, but intends to present a mythic narrative with the technical seriousness of modern IMAX production. Comparisons to Troy (2004) and more recent mythic retellings are inevitable, yet Nolan's track record with large-format, practical filmmaking suggests he'll prioritize immersive theatrical experience over CGI spectacle alone.
On industry terms, The Odyssey arrives amid renewed appetite for event cinema: studios are once again investing in big-screen exclusives and IMAX-first releases to draw audiences back to theaters. Nolan's decision to shoot on IMAX film is both a branding statement and a commercial bet on cinematic spectacle.
Risks and narrative expectations
Adapting Homer poses structural and tonal challenges: The Odyssey is episodic, brimming with gods, monsters, and detours. Nolan faces the task of finding an emotional throughline for modern viewers while honoring epic scale. Early visuals suggest he plans to balance human intimacy with sweeping sea voyages and set-piece encounters.
Cinema historian Marko Jensen offers perspective: 'Nolan's blend of tactile filmmaking and mythic ambition is a bold move in an era of digital excess. If he keeps the human stakes at the center, this could be one of his most resonant works.'
Trailer, release and expectations
The release of Empire's covers has fuelled speculation that an official trailer will arrive soon, possibly timed with the IMAX release of Avatar: The Way of Water's sequel screenings next month. The Odyssey is slated to premiere July 17, 2026, and given Nolan's stature, it will be framed as an event — a film meant to be seen in theaters, on the largest screens possible.
Whether The Odyssey becomes a fresh cinematic classic or simply another grand spectacle remains to be seen, but the early signs — from the IMAX shooting regimen to the cast and location choices — point to an ambitious reworking of a foundational epic. For fans of Nolan, of large-format cinema, and of myth reimagined, this is a title to watch closely.
Comments
Tomas
is this even necessary? can you make The Odyssey feel whole when it's basically episodes of gods, monsters and detours. curious but skeptical
atomwave
wow, Nolan going full mythic? Matt Damon beside that Trojan horse looks insane. If that's real then... fingers crossed he keeps it human, not just spectacle
Leave a Comment