Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey First Look: Damon Calls It ‘Massively Entertaining’

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Empire magazine has published new photos from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, The Odyssey, giving fans a closer look at what Nolan and Matt Damon describe as a truly epic movie event.

The images feature Damon as Odysseus, dressed in armor and looking battle-worn, guiding his troops through forests and along the shore near Greek ships. A particularly striking image shows the enormous Trojan horse being pulled onto the beach by soldiers. It’s clear Nolan is creating a very large-scale production.

Damon Says It’s What You Want from a Summer Movie

I recently read an interview with Matt Damon in Empire, and he said The Odyssey is everything you hope for in a summer blockbuster! He actually called the filming experience the best of his entire career. What really struck me was how much he praised Nolan’s dedication to doing things for real – they filmed on actual oceans, used thousands of extras, and even built a full-size Trojan horse! It sounds incredible.

“I saw the horse on the beach and I was just like, ‘F—,’” Damon said. “It was just so cool.”

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s new film based on Homer’s classic story. The movie depicts the challenging journey home for the king of Ithaca after the Trojan War. Damon says Nolan is a very detailed director, but also allows for improvisation – for example, they figured out how to film the scene with the Trojan horse landing as they went. He also notes that Nolan is always upfront about what the script requires; if the script says Odysseus is running from a Cyclops, Damon fully commits to running for his life.

Nolan Shot Over Two Million Feet of Film

Christopher Nolan has revealed that his film, The Odyssey, used over two million feet of IMAX film during production. The 91-day shoot involved filming on the open sea with actual ships and actors, avoiding any reliance on green screens or studio tanks.

Nolan aimed to revolutionize mythological films, taking the genre to a level it hadn’t reached before. He felt that while many excellent mythological movies existed, none had been made with the scale, seriousness, and high production values possible with a large Hollywood budget and IMAX technology.

He describes Homer’s story as essential and explains he’s been thinking about this project ever since he stepped down as director of Troy.

New Images from Empire

  • One image shows Damon as Odysseus, walking through a battlefield strewn with tents and wreckage.
  • Another shows Odysseus leading his men through a forest, dressed in heavy armor.
  • A silhouetted group drags a towering Trojan horse along the shore under a blazing sun.
  • The Empire cover shows Damon emerging from the ocean beneath the towering wooden horse.

These images give the clearest look yet at Nolan’s grounded approach and scale.

Film Details

Christopher Nolan’s new film, The Odyssey, features a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Benny Safdie, Samantha Morton, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Mia Goth, Cosmic Jarvis, Ryan Hurst, and Corey Hawkins.

Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay, and Emma Thomas is producing the film. Universal Pictures will release it in both IMAX and regular theaters on July 17, 2026.

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2025-11-13 23:02