Universal Pictures has released a new full-length trailer for The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem. The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, who begins a long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War. What should be a return to his wife and son becomes a years-long struggle against gods, monsters, temptation and the sea itself. In other words, not exactly a relaxing post-war commute.
The trailer gives a fuller look at Damon’s Odysseus as he pleads, “Help me go home,” before later declaring: “No one can stand between me and home. Not even the Gods.” It also offers new glimpses of Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Queen of Ithaca, and Tom Holland as Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, who refuses to give up hope that his father will return.
Nolan’s cast is, unsurprisingly, stacked. Robert Pattinson appears as Antinous, the arrogant suitor with his eyes on Penelope, while Charlize Theron plays the nymph Calypso. The film also features Zendaya as Athena, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Mia Goth as Melantho, Jimmy Gonzales as Cepheus, Lupita Nyong’o and Will Yun Lee.
The trailer also gives audiences a first look at Polyphemus, the man-eating Cyclops and son of Poseidon, alongside sweeping battle sequences, storm-lashed ships and flashes of the Trojan War. Nolan has also confirmed that the film will use a non-linear structure, which feels fitting for a filmmaker whose work has often played with time, memory and fractured storytelling.
The Odyssey marks Nolan’s first film since Oppenheimer, which won Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. The new film was shot entirely on IMAX cameras, with filming taking place across Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Western Sahara and Malta.
For CultureCues, this looks like Nolan working on his biggest mythic canvas yet. After Oppenheimer, the idea of him turning to Homer and one of literature’s most enduring journeys feels enormous, but also entirely fitting. With the film shot for IMAX and built around a story that has shaped centuries of storytelling, The Odyssey already has the scale of a true cinematic event.
The Odyssey is released in cinemas on 17 July.
Watch the new trailer below.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.