Christopher Nolan set to adapt Homer’s The Odyssey for his next film

Universal has announced that Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, would adapt the epic poem composed by Homer around the 8th century BCE.

It is known as one of the foundational texts of Western literature and tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War, exploring themes of heroism, loyalty, cunning, and the struggle against divine will.

It has served as source material for a very large number of works in the past, including the 1954 Italian film Ulysses, directed by Mario Camerini and starring Kirk Douglas, as well as the 1997 miniseries The Odyssey, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky.

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.

— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) December 23, 2024

Also drawing inspiration from the poem were James Joyce’s Ulysses, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, Ulysses’ Gaze from Theo Angelopoulos, and many more.

As had previously been announced, Nolan’s next film is set to star Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.

It will start shooting early next year and will mark Nolan’s second film for Universal, following his Best Picture winner Oppenheimer.

The Odyssey is set for release on July 17, 2026.