Ancient Literature on Screen: What We Know About Christopher Nolan's Odyssey

Why Nolan's Odyssey became one of 2026's biggest film events.

After Oppenheimer, director Christopher Nolan turned to one of the most famous works in world literature — Homer's ancient epic, the Odyssey. Even before its theatrical release, the film had already received its first reviews from critics and sparked discussion on social media.

Here's what's known about the film and what's already caught viewers' attention, in this DeTalks roundup.

What We Know About Odyssey (2026)

Nolan took on the adaptation of Homer's ancient epic after working on The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer. The film's budget reached $250 million, making it the most expensive project of the director's career.

Filming took place in six countries, including Morocco, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, Greece, and the United States. Nolan stayed true to his commitment to maximum realism on screen — instead of studio sets, the crew worked out on the open sea, on mountain slopes, and in genuine harsh weather.

The production even built a full-scale ship for Odysseus, which traveled between locations along with the crew. Over 53,000 costumes were made for the film, and nearly 100 artists worked on hair and makeup.

Odyssey also became the first feature film shot entirely on film IMAX cameras.

The filmmakers noted that Odyssey deserves to be seen in true 70mm IMAX format, exactly as intended.

A Brief Plot Summary

After the Trojan War ends, Ithaca's king Odysseus sets out on a long journey home. Along the way, he enters the cave of the one-eyed giant Polyphemus, meets the witch Circe, hears the deadly Sirens' song, sails between Scylla and Charybdis, and even descends to the Kingdom of the Dead.

While Odysseus faces his trials, his wife Penelope is besieged by numerous suitors seeking to claim the throne of Ithaca. Their young son Telemachus sets out on his own journey to find his father.

In the end, Odysseus returns home disguised as an old beggar, to find out who has stayed loyal to him.

Who Plays the Main Characters in Odyssey

In this new adaptation, the characters' emotional arcs run deeper than before.

The lead role of Odysseus went to Matt Damon, who said that after reading the script, he realized it would be the best role of his career.

He described Odysseus as an iconic character who endures countless trials, both internal and physical, calling the role an extraordinary opportunity, the actor said in an interview with USA TODAY.

Anne Hathaway played Penelope, the protagonist's wife. In shaping the character, the director moved away from the 'patient wife' archetype, making her Odysseus's equal in intellect and endurance instead. For twenty years, the queen defended her home and her rule over Ithaca on her own.

Telemachus, Odysseus's son, was played by Tom Holland, and the goddess Athena by his wife, Zendaya. According to the actress, at first she was simply happy for Holland getting the role and hadn't even considered that she might join the cast herself.

She said she was incredibly happy for Tom when she learned he'd be working on Christopher Nolan's new film, and hadn't even imagined she might be invited to join, Zendaya said in an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Robert Pattinson played Antinous — the most powerful of Penelope's suitors and the story's main antagonist. The actor joked that the character reminds him of Jacob from Twilight, since he's also trying to win over a woman who loves someone else.

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Other stars appearing on screen include Charlize Theron as the sea nymph Calypso, and Travis Scott, who made his acting debut as a bard.

How Critics Rated the Film

Early reviews showed that Odyssey became one of Christopher Nolan's most highly rated films. On Rotten Tomatoes, for instance, the film received a 95% approval rating. Critics most often praised the performances — especially Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland — along with Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and Ludwig Göransson's score.

At the same time, some called the battle scenes one of the film's weakest elements. Randy Jones, for example, described the final battle as chaotic and poorly staged.

The Guardian, The Independent, and The Telegraph gave the film five-star reviews. Peter Bradshaw called the project stunningly ambitious, bold, and epic in scale, while Clarisse Loughrey called it Nolan's best work.

Classicist Mary Beard, meanwhile, said that the film adaptation lacks the cunning and humor of Homer's Odysseus, while Emily Hauser noted that the female characters got less attention than in the original poem.

Why the Film Sparked Debate Even Before Its Premiere

Even before the first reviews came out, Odyssey was already being widely discussed online. After the trailers came out, viewers noticed the characters' modern language — including a line where Telemachus calls Odysseus 'dad' instead of the more formal 'father.'

Viewers also debated various creative choices, like Agamemnon's dark armor, which some compared to Batman's suit, and Odysseus's ship, which some viewers thought looked more like a Viking longship.

Casting sparked a separate wave of discussion. Blogger Matt Walsh criticized the choice of Lupita Nyong'o for the role of Helen of Troy, arguing her appearance didn't fit the character. After Elon Musk voiced support for the post, the debate quickly spread across social media.

Nyong'o responded that it's a mythological story, and that the cast represents the whole world.

Classicist Daniel Mendelsohn called the uproar over the issue somewhat amusing, since Helen's role in Homer's poem is actually quite small.

Professor Susan Deacy shared her own take, wondering whether we've become inclined to treat mythological material as though it were genuinely historical.

Other Films Based on the Poem

Over more than a century of film history, the Odyssey has been adapted and reimagined dozens of times. Notably, Ulysses, the 1954 film starring Kirk Douglas, is one of the most sweeping Hollywood adaptations of the hero's journey home.

The most faithful retelling of Homer's plot came from NBC's 1997 miniseries The Odyssey, starring Armand Assante, which retells nearly the entire poem's story with little change.

The Coen brothers, meanwhile, took a freer approach with 2000's O Brother, Where Art Thou? — they moved the story to the American South during the Great Depression, where George Clooney played an escaped convict named Ulysses.

"The Return", the freshest example from 2024, starring Ralph Fiennes in the lead role, showed neither gods nor monsters — just a psychological drama about a man overcoming hardship over the course of twenty years.