The Odyssey is one of this summer's most highly anticipated movies, and beyond the incredible A-list cast, much of the credit for that goes to filmmaker Christopher Nolan.
His blockbusters have become must-see events for most filmgoers, and Nolan is aware of the pressure that comes with adapting the ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer into a sweeping epic made for theaters.
"There’s a massive amount of pressure," he told the Associated Press (via SFFGazette.com). "Anyone taking on 'The Odyssey' is taking on the hopes and dreams of people for epic movies everywhere, and that comes with a huge responsibility."
Nolan went on to liken his experience shooting The Odyssey to The Dark Knight Trilogy. "What I learned from that experience is that what people want from a movie about a beloved story, a beloved set of characters, is they want a strong and sincere interpretation," the filmmaker explained. "They want to know that a filmmaker has gone to the mat for it. I really tried to make the best film possible."
The Odyssey is the first movie shot entirely on IMAX film, and IMAX 70mm screenings sold out a year before it splashes down in theaters this July. It's all but guaranteed to make as much as, if not more than, Oppenheimer's $975.8 million in 2023, and we recently learned that the movie will have a shorter runtime than Nolan's last feature.
That's not to get The Odyssey in more screens as some have speculated, though. Instead, it's a result of IMAX's technical limitations.
"One of the things that’s really important to me is to be showing the film wherever possible on IMAX film, projecting the format, because we shot the entire movie on IMAX film, and the longest we’ve ever been able to get onto the IMAX projector is three hours," Nolan confirmed. "So we know it’s less than three hours."
"I can say the film is shorter than 'Oppenheimer.' It’s still an epic, it’s an epic film as the subject matter demands, but it is shorter."
For what it's worth, insider @Cryptic4KQual has since said that The Odyssey is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, though the final cut could end up being closer to 2 hours and 40 minutes. The movie has reportedly tested well internally, with the current expectation being that a new trailer will coincide with tickets going on sale in mid-June.
The ancient Greek text that The Odyssey is based on is one of the foundational texts of Western literature. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War.
The tale includes iconic stories like Odysseus' encounters with the Cyclops, Polyphemus, the Sirens and the witch-goddess Circe, culminating in a reunion with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus.
The cast of The Odyssey also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, C harlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Lupita Nyong'o, Will Yun Lee, Benny Safdie, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Corey Hawkins, Josh Stewart, Jimmy Gonzales, Maurice Compte, and Logan Marshall-Green.
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.