The Odyssey Teaser: Everything You Need To Know
Off the back of Oppenheimer — which won seven Oscars in March 2024, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director — Nolan is returning with yet another ambitious blockbuster, adapting Homer's classic, The Odyssey.
So, what is it all about?
If you're familiar with the epic poem, you'll know that bringing The Odyssey to the big screen Nolan-style will be quite the undertaking. The story, which is dated around 750-650 BC and split between 24 books, follows the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, as he travels home after the Trojan War. On his journey, he encounters many perils as he battles mythical creatures and faces the wrath of the Greek gods. Simultaneously, Odysseus's wife, Penelope, and their son, Telemachus, endure their own challenges as they await his return to the throne. And if that doesn't sound exciting enough already, just wait until you hear who's in the cast.
Who's going to be in it?
Matt Damon will play Odysseus, Telemachus will be played by Tom Holland, and it's been speculated that Anne Hathaway will be playing Penelope. In February, Universal unveiled the first official image from the film, showing Matt as Odysseus in his Gladiator-esque armor. The other significant characters include Circe, the goddess of sorcery (played by Charlize Theron), the Greek goddess Athena, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, storms, and earthquakes. Other actors set to appear in The Odyssey include Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, and Cosmo Jarvis. Right now, we don't have confirmation as to what characters everyone is playing. Speaking to Variety in late June, Charlize said she was preparing to fly out to start shooting her scenes for the movie. 'It's super intimidating. I'm like the last one to show up,' she said. 'I'll be like the new kid on the block, and everybody will know what they're doing and not me.'
Where are they in production? And when's it actually coming out?
Filming has been underway since early 2025, taking place in locations such as Morocco, Greece, Sicily, and Iceland. It will be the first movie shot entirely with IMAX cameras, and since filming began, fans have been poring over each new batch of paparazzi pictures from the set — many of which see Matt Damon looking extremely ripped and rather beardy. Most recently, the Martian star and his Odysseus beard were spotted shooting with Nolan in Scotland. Now for the bad news…The Odyssey isn't hitting theaters until July 17, 2026. But, even though we've got a year to wait, I'm pleased to announce that, in true Nolan style, the Oscar-winning director has given fans a preview of the action with the first official poster and a dramatic new teaser.
Where did the teaser come from, and what does it include?
For context, the 70-second teaser began showing exclusively in theaters on July 1. However, if you were scrolling on X or TikTok that afternoon, you may have come across some leaked footage filmed in cinemas. (We do not condone filming in the movie theater!! Have some class!) Most of the leaked clips were swiftly taken down, and it is currently unclear whether Universal plans to release the teaser online. So, for those who haven't caught it yet, here's a summary of what the footage shows.It begins with a sprawling shot of the ocean paired with some narration from someone who sounds like it could be R-Patz. 'Darkness. Zeus' laws smashed to pieces. A kingdom without a king since my master died. He knew it was an unwinnable war, and then somehow…somehow he won it,' he says, as the camera cuts to two different shots of what is presumably the Trojan Horse, which Odysseus uses to smuggle Greek soldiers into Troy and win the war. We then get our first bit of onscreen acting in the form of a tense conversation between Tom Holland as Telemachus and a character played by Jon Bernthal. We don't know yet who Jon is playing, but in the scene, Telemachus, with tears streaming down his face, asks: 'I have to find out what happened to my father. When did you last see him?' In response, Jon's character says, 'Interested in rumor, huh? Gossip,' before yelling to the people around them, 'Who has a story about Odysseus, huh? You!? You have a story!?'This is followed by what appears to be our first look at Matt in action as an armored-up Odysseus. The shot shows a group of soldiers from behind as they walk through dark city streets holding torches. Words on a blank screen read: 'One Year From Now,' alluding to the film's release in July 2026. Another long shot shows a man in armor, presumably Odysseus, wielding his sword as he enters a cave, followed by other soldiers. Over the top of the visuals, Jon's character continues: 'Some say he's rich, or some say he's poor. Some say he perished. Some say he's imprisoned. What say you?' Telemachus replies, 'Imprisoned?''What kind of prison? Good, old man like that,' Jon's character scoffs before we get a foreboding shot of Odysseus stranded at sea, lying on some scraps of wood in the middle of the dark ocean. 'The Odyssey' and '17. 07. 26' appear on screen one after another, and the teaser concludes.
What were the initial reactions from fans?
Well, with so much anticipation surrounding the movie, it's fair to say that the reception online was very positive. 'The slice of Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY is extremely promising honing in on a mythical aura of a cinematic Greek tragedy surrounded by an ominous choral soundscape and lush world building, Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal feel right in their element! I'm ready for the Gods!' one X user wrote.They continued: 'The Odyssey footage was hypnotizing, honing in on gruesome acoustic landscapes and stretching visuals that don't even cover the scope of Christopher Nolan's cinematic vision, the emotional story led by a vulnerable Tom Holland feels set. Divine and mythical!''I saw The Odyssey teaser, holy shit it bangs. Tom Holland bout to make some people real silent, amazing acting in the short footage we see,' wrote someone else, garnering over 30,000 likes as they praised Tom's brief performance in the teaser.'It was absolutely worth it to wait until I could watch THE ODYSSEY teaser on the big screen,' another user said, calling it 'grandiose, epic, and perhaps the most foreboding out of any recent Nolan teaser.' 'Next summer can't get here quick enough.'Some have been critical of the decision to have the actors use American accents, despite the story being an ancient Greek story. But we'll just have to wait and see how it pans out.
So, there you have it. The countdown is on. Could this be the sequel to Oppenheimer's 2024 Oscars sweep? Only time will tell...
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Could ‘Sinners' campaign as a musical at the Golden Globes? The surprising answer
As discussed in Gold Derby's 2025 Oscars halftime report, Sinners is sitting pretty with just under six months to go for the rest of the year. Of the films that have had theatrical releases thus far this calendar year, it's the easy frontrunner for Best Picture, and it's cultural footprint is about to become even larger as it heads to Max on July 4. At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Ryan Coogler's period vampire thriller will be a contender in year-end awards. More from Gold Derby 'Awards Magnet' mailbag: A 'Bear' Emmy nominations tank? A cap on acting nominees? 'Sinners,' 'The Sandman,' a new 'Trainwreck,' and the best to stream this holiday weekend: July 3, 2025 But which year-end awards? There is an interesting possibility for Sinners when it comes specifically to its placement for the Golden Globes, which divides up the major film categories between drama and musical or comedy. Music, the blues and Irish folk in particular, is an essential element of the film — both in the lives of its characters and in the texture of the film itself — which leads to the main question of its Globes campaigning. Could Sinners run as a musical? The obvious knee-jerk reaction to the question may understandably be "Don't be ridiculous. Sinners is a drama with music." And that's by no means wrong, but that is not the question. In a world where awards strategy is a legitimate business consideration for the studios, every possible advantage is an asset, and if it's possible Sinner could have an easier path to victory in Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, the categorization isn't realistically out of the question. In recent category history, Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis are two examples of fence films that ultimately ran in Musical or Comedy. When the question of whether a category decision has been made or even if Musical or Comedy was a possibility was put to Warner Bros. publicity team, they did not respond. To get to the meat of whether this is even possible for Sinners, let's first look at the letter of the law, according to the official Golden Globes Eligibility and Consideration Rules. Under category criteria for the Motion Picture prizes, the document states that "A musical can be a comedy or a drama in which songs are used in addition to spoken dialogue to further the plot." The rule leaves plenty of room for interpretation, but in the case of Sinners, an argument could be made that music undoubtedly furthers the plot. The prime piece of evidence for the argument is a sequence that rightfully drew much praise during Sinners' initial release. In a literal barn burner of a scene, Miles Caton's Sammie Moore sings a song ("I Lied to You") so potent that it conjures the spirits of the past and present, bringing them into the juke point started by his cousins Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan). And while the sequence is a virtuosic alchemy of filmmaking and performance in the moment, its plot ramifications aren't clarified until later. Late in the film, Remmick, the Irish vampire played by Jack O'Connell, reveals that the entire reason behind his attack on the juke joint is to subsume Sammie into his (mostly) eternal collective so that he can summon the souls he's lost during his damned existence. Put simply, a song is the entire reason that the main plot of Sinners happens. So by that reading of the rules and the film itself, Warner Bros. could submit Sinners as a musical. Whether it does or not will likely come down to choices within the studio and possibly by the filmmakers. Best of Gold Derby Everything to know about 'The Batman 2': Returning cast, script finalized Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Click here to read the full article.
Screen Geek
8 hours ago
- Screen Geek
ABC Cancels Series After Only One Season
ABC has made another tough decision regarding one of their newest television shows. Unfortunately, for fans of one particular series, it's been confirmed that ABC has canceled the title after releasing one sole season on their network. It took quite some time for the scripted series to receive some kind of update regarding whether or not it would be renewed or canceled entirely. Now, however, we know that ABC decided on the latter. It's unfortunate that the series had to be canceled, and even more so that crew members are alleging that there was inappropriate behavior while working on the series. What began as a promising addition to the network's lineup has now ended not only in cancellation, but under the cloud of behind-the-scenes concerns that have started to come to light in recent weeks. '' Doctor Odyssey ' has been canceled after one season on ABC.' Variety notes that 'the cast's contracts expire on Monday with no move from ABC to put the series back on its schedule for the upcoming year.' With that said, the outlet does suggest one possible reason for the show's cancellation. The news was released just 'after three of the show's former crew members filed a lawsuit against Disney and 20th Television on May 30, alleging that the studio enabled an 'unchecked campaign of sexual harassment for months'' and the crew members also accused 'assistant prop master Tyler Patton of making 'sexual jokes, innuendos, comments, sexual gestures and images' in addition to 'unwanted touching' including 'openly grabbing a visiting female employee's buttocks.' The medical drama series, created by Ryan Murphy, starred Joshua Jackson as Max Bankman. His character is a doctor on a luxury cruise line called the Odyssey. The story revolves around Bankman as he assists with medical emergencies while overseas. The series Doctor Odyssey was produced by 20th Television in association with Ryan Murphy Television. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the latest titles to be renewed or canceled by ABC and other such television networks and platforms as we have them.
CNBC
14 hours ago
- CNBC
I visited Universal Studios and people were on their phones everywhere—even rollercoasters: That habit is 'really hard to break,' expert says
In May, my boyfriend and I spent a day at Universal Studios in Orlando. It was my first time at the park since I was 11. We drank butterbeer, ate a chocolate frog and popped into the Frying Dutchman in Springfield. We strolled through Hollywood's Walk of Fame, rode a boat and saw dinosaurs and visited E.T.'s home planet. It was epic. It was also sensory overload. Visiting Universal means attractions, activities, rides, junk food and people dressed up as characters all of the time, everywhere — it was very overwhelming. By the end of the day, my body was tired from all the walking and my brain was tired from processing. I couldn't imagine a more stimulating place, but it turns out that for many of my fellow park-goers it was not enough. Everywhere we went, people were on their phones. They were texting in the lazy river at the hotel and scrolling on the bus ride over to the park. People were even glued to their screens on the rides themselves, and no level of excitement could compete. When I got back from my trip, I reached out to Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of "Attention Span," to find out why people just can't pull themselves away even at a place as stimulating as Universal Studios — and what it's doing to their experience. There are lots of reasons people turn to their phones at amusement parks. They could be taking photos or making videos to post on social media, they might be messaging with friends to share their experience or reading reviews of rides before getting in line. Whatever their reason, when people are on their phones, they are "not living the moment," Mark says. Instead of being present with their surroundings, they're present with their screen. And that's to their detriment. By not fully taking in their experience, they're robbing themselves of "what could be a tremendous amount of fun." I saw this firsthand on the Hogwarts Express. It's an immersive train ride where the story takes place on two sides of the train car. Two kids were bent over their phones the entire time. One man was even recording himself while on a rollercoaster. Not only are they missing out on the present, when people are not giving the moment their full attention, "they're not able to develop memories from their experience," Mark adds. Mark is not surprised this kind of thing happens. "Smartphones are an ingrained habit among people," she says, "not just young people, adults as well, and that's really hard to break." But there are ways to do it. Whether you're an adult fighting your own urges or a parent taking your kids on an adventure, "leave your phone in the hotel," she says, and have your kids do the same. They'll protest. But ultimately, they'll realize it lets them focus on what's directly in front of them. If you have to take your phone with you, say, because you're at a park abroad and need to be able to translate, make sure you're not scrolling aimlessly. Grabbing a phone can be an automatic response to boredom. Fight that urge. "You can develop willpower by probing yourself and asking questions like, 'do I really need to use my phone right now?'" she says.
