Christopher Nolan has been known for a very specific genre of films, from action/espionage, and recently historical biopic. A lot of fans have been curious about his next movie starring Tom Holland and Matt Damon, and now Universal has officially announced what the project is going to be about—and no, it’s not about a robot helicopter.
According to an official post from Universal Pictures, the movie will be an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey. Check this out:
Christopher Nolan’s next film ‘The Odyssey’ is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) December 23, 2024
It hasn’t been confirmed which characters the cast are playing, but the picture has managed to gather an impressive cast with Nolan favourites like Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon, and Anne Hathaway. The cast also includes Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and power couple Zendaya and Tom Holland.
The Odyssey by Homer is considered a sequel to The Iliad which tells the story of mythical hero Odysseus on his journey home after the Trojan War. Along the way he meets several mythical creatures and magical beings, all making for unique short stories that build up a whole narrative.
There have been several adaptations of the Odyssey over the years, but one of the most auteur-focused takes was O Brother, Where Art Thou? from the Cohen Brothers which takes the story of the Odyssey and loosely brings it to 1930s rural Mississippi. George Clooney plays the lead Ulysses (Odysseus’ Roman name) and there are loose adaptations of the Sirens and the Cyclops from the original poem.
Knowing Nolan, his Odyssey may not be a direct adaptation, and should have its own kind of twist unique to him. Maybe it’s a telling of the story in a grounded way as compared to the mythical events that happen in the original poem? Could he find a way to work a robot helicopter into the story?
We’ll just have to wait and see until the next update. Hopefully it can match the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou because the bluegrass songs are what make the movie.
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is set to come out July 17, 2026.
