Tom Holland, take note: Christopher Nolan‘s new film for Universal is The Odyssey, an adaptation of the epic poem composed by Homer around the 8th century BCE, the studio has revealed.
“Christopher Nolan’s next film The Odyssey is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology,” the studio announced on Monday in a message posted to X. “The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.”
The ancient Greek poem from Homer tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War, exploring themes of heroism, loyalty, cunning, and the struggle against divine will. The tale includes iconic episodes like his encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe, culminating in his reunion with his wife, Penelope.
While this would be the most notable adaptation of the text to date, the poem has previously been adapted into the 1954 Italian film Ulysses, directed by Mario Camerini and starring Kirk Douglas, as well as the 1997 miniseries The Odyssey, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Armand Assante. Currently, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche can be seen playing Odysseus and Penelope in Uberto Pasolini’s The Return, which Bleecker Street released earlier this month following the film’s TIFF unveiling. Also drawing inspiration from the poem was The Coen Brothers s O Brother, Where Art Thou?, released back in 2000.
As previously announced, Nolan’s latest will star Matt Damon, Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. The story settled on by the filmmaker is far afield from the rumors of the subject matter he’d be exploring going forward, involving everything from vampires to helicopter pilots.
The Odyssey is expected to start shooting early next year. Marking Nolan’s second film for Universal, on the heels of his Best Picture winner Oppenheimer, its 2026 date falls in line with the window often reserved by that filmmaker, as was the case with his historical drama starring Cillian Murphy.
View Universal’s epic Nolan announcement below.
