04-07-2025
The Odyssey Teaser: Everything You Need To Know
If you're someone who cares about movies, there is every reason to be very, very, very excited for Christopher Nolan's next film.
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 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 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...
