“The Odyssey” is about to set sail, and Universal Pictures is peeling back more on what’s shaping up to be a classic Hollywood swords-and-sandals epic. At the studio’s CinemaCon presentation on April 14 in Las Vegas, more footage from Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming blockbuster was unveiled to an audience of journalists and exhibitors.
The footage shown was an extended sequence of the warriors inside the Trojan Horse ready to prepare their famous ambush. It begins with a clip of Damon’s Odysseus asking Calypso how long he’s been stranded on an island and saying he can’t remember a thing before Troy, like if he had a wife or child. We then see Tom Holland, playing his son, sitting at a table with Jon Bernthal, who asks him if “he’s heard the story of the horse” but if he’s heard it “from the inside.” We then see hundreds of extras tugging the Trojan Horse out of the water into Troy. The soldiers inside are struggling to stay silent and even breathe in the water and avoid stabs of the Trojans’ swords, and Damon then leads the soldiers in ambushing the Trojans and opening the doors to the larger Greek army.
“I think you know the rest,” Bernthal says.
Based on the ancient Greek epic by the poet Homer, “The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon as Greek hero Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. Having fought for Greek in the Trojan War, Odysseus embarks on a voyage home to his beloved wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland). Said voyage proves perilous and longer than expected, however, as Odysseus must fend off a variety of mythological beasts and dangerous foes to finally return home.
The film is the second Nolan has directed under Universal, after a very public split from Warner Bros. in 2020 over the release of “Tenet.” Previously, the studio had distributed all of his first 11 films. His first film under Universal, “Oppenheimer,” released in 2023. A biopic looking at J. Robert Oppenheimer’s creation of the atomic bomb, “Oppenheimer” was a massive financial success, grossing $975.8 million, and one of the most acclaimed films of Nolan’s career. At the Academy Awards, it netted seven wins, including Best Picture and Best Director for Nolan.
In addition to Damon, Hathaway, and Telemachus, “The Odyssey” will feature an extremely starry supporting cast. Nolan joked on the CinemaCon stage that it would be easier to say all the people who were NOT in “The Odyssey.” Robert Pattinson plays Antinous, one of the many suitors courting Penelope in her husband’s absence. Zendaya plays Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Charlize Theron plays Cirie, a goddess of witchcraft who torments Odysseus during his journey. And in various supporting or undisclosed roles is a massive ensemble character: Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Will Yun Lee, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Corey Hawkins, Nick E. Tarabay, Maurice Compte, Michael Vlamis, Iddo Goldberg, Josh Stewart, Ryan Hurst, Jovan Adepo, Logan Marshall-Green, James Remar, and Travis Scott.
Nolan will be joined by several of his frequent collaborators on “The Odyssey.” These include cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and composer Ludwig Göransson. Universal Pictures will release “The Odyssey” in theaters July 17.
