We now have confirmation that Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey will indeed be rated R.
A rumor did the rounds last year that the mythological epic might be hit with the adult-oriented rating, but a lot of people dismissed it outright. Though Homer's poem certainly features enough violence, sex and other elements to warrant an R-rated adaptation, it was generally assumed that Universal would prefer a PG-13 in order to appeal to the widest audience possible and maximise profits.
The studio might well have pushed for the more family-friendly rating, but at the end of the day, Nolan is a filmmaker who is in a position to make any type of movie he damn well pleases at this stage!
It's also worth keeping in mind that Nolan's last movie with the studio was the R-rated Oppenheimer, which went on to gross just short of $1 billion worldwide and won several Academy Awards.
At any rate, we can't imagine the movie is going to have much trouble packing out theatres. Tickets went on sale earlier today, and demand for IMAX and other premium large format screenings was so high that several sites crashed. Sales have resumed, but wait times were up to an hour at one point.
A positive sign for sure, but this movie is definitely going to keep the crowds coming.
According to Variety, The Odyssey carries a budget of $250 million, making it one of the most expensive R-rated movies in history, topping the likes of Joker: Folie à Deux and Deadpool & Wolverine.
"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," said Universal Pictures in a statement when the project was announced.
The poem has been adapted (sometimes very loosely) a number of times before, starting with the 1911 silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro, and followed by 1954’s Ulysses starring Kirk Douglas. The Cohen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is also based on the epic adventure, as is 2024’s The Return starring Ralph Fiennes.
Anime fans may also recall the '80s Ulysses 31 series, which put a futuristic spin on the tale.
Back in 2015, Deadpool and Wolverine star Hugh Jackman was in talks to play Odysseus in an adaptation from Lionsgate and director Francis Lawrence, but the project never got off the ground.
The Odyssey is due for release in theaters on July 17, 2026.