Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated follow-up to his seven-Oscar-winning Oppenheimer will be an epic adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. Universal Pictures, which is backing the project, announced on social media that Nolan’s next film, titled The Odyssey, will be a “mythic action epic shot across the world,” using brand new IMAX film technology. The studio has confirmed a release date for July 2026.
The news of Nolan’s new project first emerged in October, with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland reportedly in talks to star alongside Matt Damon. More recently, it has been revealed that Anne Hathaway and Zendaya will also join the star-studded cast. Hathaway, who worked with Nolan in Interstellar, expressed her gratitude to the director, sharing how he gave her one of her most cherished roles despite the negative online backlash she had faced at the time.
Nolan’s affinity for the giant-scale IMAX format is well-known, having used it in films like The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, and Dunkirk. Now, with The Odyssey, he will bring Homer’s 8th-century BC epic to the big screen, embracing the expansive visual storytelling that has become his signature.
While adaptations of the Odyssey are rare, there have been notable examples, including the 1954 Italian film Ulysses, starring Kirk Douglas, and Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche’s recent film The Return, which focuses on the poem’s final section. The 1995 film Ulysses’ Gaze by Greek director Theo Angelopoulos, and the Coen brothers’ 2000 comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?, also draw from Homer’s narrative.
Fans of Nolan’s work can expect an extraordinary visual and narrative experience as The Odyssey prepares to make its way to cinemas in 2026.