Director Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the 3,000-year-old Greek epic arrives in theaters Friday, July 17, with a production budget exceeding $250 million and critical acclaim already building. The film has garnered a 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its release.
The Odyssey represents a historic technical achievement as the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX cameras. Nolan assembled a star-studded ensemble to bring Homer's 24-book epic poem to life, with Matt Damon portraying the legendary King of Ithaca, Odysseus.
The ancient narrative follows Odysseus on a decade-long journey home from the Trojan War, during which he encounters mythical creatures and faces the wrath of Poseidon, god of the sea. The deity sends storms and shipwrecks to avenge Odysseus for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus.
While Odysseus battles supernatural obstacles, his wife Penelope and their son Telemachus await his return in Ithaca. Anne Hathaway portrays Penelope, who must fend off 108 suitors vying for the throne. Among them, Antinous—played by Robert Pattinson—emerges as the most violent, plotting to kill Telemachus.
The goddess Athena, portrayed by Zendaya, aids Odysseus in his return home. Upon reuniting with Telemachus, played by Tom Holland, the father and son devise a plan to eliminate Penelope's suitors and reclaim control of their kingdom.
Nolan's cast includes Charlize Theron as Calypso, the nymph of Ogygia Island, and Samantha Morton as Circe, the sorceress who transforms Odysseus's companions into pigs. Lupita Nyong'o takes on dual roles as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra, while Jon Bernthal portrays Menelaus, the king of Sparta and Helen's husband.
Additional cast members include Benny Safdie as Agamemnon, John Leguizamo as the faithful swineherd Eumaeus, Bill Irwin as the Cyclops Polyphemus, Elliot Page as Sinon, Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Mia Goth as Melantho, and Travis Scott as Demodocus, the court bard of the Phaeacians.
The production spanned ninety-one days across six countries: Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, and the United States. Nolan eschewed computer-generated imagery and green screens in favor of practical effects. The Greeks' ship was an actual vessel that sailed the Mediterranean, and the Cyclops was created through a combination of animatronics, puppets, and limited computer graphics.
The IMAX cameras proved so heavy that helicopters were required to hoist them up rocky slopes during filming. The bulky equipment prevented actors from seeing each other's faces during takes, necessitating a mirror system for eye contact between performers.
Nolan previously attempted to bring Homer's work to the screen in 2004, but that project ultimately was directed by Wolfgang Petersen. The filmmaker went on to create The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer before returning to the ancient epic.
Following the nearly billion-dollar success of Oppenheimer, Nolan told Time that the absence of a definitive Odyssey film represented an odd gap in movie history.
Homer's epic poem, attributed to the ancient Greek poet from the 8th century BC, likely originated as oral tradition passed down through generations before being committed to writing. While the gods and mythical creatures are fictional, the settings and cultures depicted have historical roots. The city of Troy, long thought fictional, was discovered through excavations in modern-day Hisarlik, Turkey, matching descriptions from the ancient texts.
The Odyssey opens in theaters Friday, bringing one of Western literature's foundational sagas to audiences in an unprecedented IMAX presentation.
