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The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey told us this thing was going to be huge. The second one gives that scale a threat, the stakes and a destination.
Debuted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the new trailer for The Odyssey gives us a proper look at Matt Damon’s Odysseus, Tom Holland’s Telemachus, Anne Hathaway’s Penelope and Robert Pattinson’s Antinous, looking suitably slippery as one of Ithaca’s suitors.
Based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long, punishing journey home after the Trojan War, with gods, monsters, temptation and political trouble waiting at almost every turn. This time, the footage leans further into the danger building back in Ithaca, as Penelope and Telemachus are left to hold the kingdom together while Odysseus fights his way home.
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It also gives us a clearer sense of just how far Nolan is taking the material. Universal describes the film as a “mythic action epic” shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology, bringing Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time. There are ships cutting through violent seas, battle scenes built for the biggest possible screen, and our first proper look at the Cyclops, which tells how seriously Nolan is treating the word “epic”.
The cast is equally epic, ridiculous even. Alongside Damon, Holland, Hathaway and Pattinson, The Odyssey stars Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, with Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo and more also reportedly part of the wider ensemble. And considering some of the Nolan regulars, we’re likely in for a few surprises.
During his Late Show appearance, Nolan compared the ancient epics to the superhero stories that now dominate cinemas, framing Homer’s work in blockbuster terms. “The thing about Homer, it is the Marvel of its day,” he said, pointing to the same desire to imagine gods walking among people. But instead of enhanced superhumans and super suits, it’s a retelling of one of the oldest adventure stories ever told on a modern scale.
The film marks Nolan’s first release since Oppenheimer, which turned a three-hour biopic about the father of the atomic bomb into a genuine box office event and went on to win Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. The Odyssey looks like a very different beast, but the basic Nolan promise remains the same. Big ideas, big images, and a theatrical experience designed to feel larger than whatever else is playing next door.
The Odyssey is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, produced by Emma Thomas and Nolan for Syncopy, and executive produced by Thomas Hayslip. It opens in Australian cinemas on 16 July 2026.
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