A story that has echoed across millennia is making its way to the biggest screen possible.
Christopher Nolan brings one of literature’s most legendary tales to cinemas with The Odyssey, a sweeping adaptation of the Greek epic shot across six countries: Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, and the United States. Opening in Philippine cinemas on July 15, the film gathers an extraordinary ensemble cast led by Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, and more.
As Nolan’s thirteenth feature film, The Odyssey marks what may be his most expansive cinematic undertaking yet.
“Your experience as a filmmaker informs the choices you make in a number of different ways, including what you feel prepared for, what you feel that you have the skill set for, and what will give you a new challenge but builds on what you’ve done before,” Nolan says. “The Odyssey is an incredible work that’s extremely important to the history of the world and development of culture, but it has never been adapted as a modern blockbuster. I was energized by the challenge of creating the mythic world of Ancient Greece and excited about telling its story, with all its rich themes, in a way I’d never seen.”
Watch the final trailer for The Odyssey here:
A Timeless Epic Reimagined for Modern Cinema
Believed to have originated around the 8th century BCE, The Odyssey is one of the most influential works in world literature. Passed down through generations of oral storytellers, the epic evolved through time while keeping its emotional core intact: a family separated by war, a kingdom in turmoil, and a hero fighting his way home.
At the heart of the story are two central figures. There is Odysseus of Ithaca, the king known for his cunning and for helping win the Trojan War through the legendary Trojan Horse. Then there is Telemachus, his son, who was only an infant when Odysseus left for Troy and has grown up wondering if his father is still alive.
Meanwhile, Penelope, Odysseus’ wife and Telemachus’ mother, must navigate the dangerous politics of Ithaca as suitors pressure her to remarry and place one of them on the throne.
It is a story of longing, survival, loyalty, and fate. Across oceans, palaces, battlefields, and mythic encounters, The Odyssey remains a powerful tale of what it means to find one’s way back home.
Christopher Nolan on the Epic’s Cinematic Power
For Nolan, adapting The Odyssey also meant recognizing just how deeply the epic has shaped storytelling on screen.
“Whether it’s the narrative through-line of Odysseus or the singular episodes that make the entirety of the epic, The Odyssey underpins almost all of cinema,” Nolan says. “It’s certainly there in every movie I’ve ever made, to a degree I never before realized. It was a fun thing to discover as I got into the work of adaptation.”
That realization helped fuel Nolan’s approach to the film, one that embraces the grand scale of ancient myth while delivering the immersive force of a modern blockbuster.
Practical Spectacle Meets Modern Visual Effects
Known for his love of practical filmmaking, real locations, and massive in-camera moments, Nolan brings that passion to The Odyssey in full force. The film combines live stunt work, practical effects, and sweeping real-world locations with modern visual effects to create a mythic world that feels both tangible and breathtaking.
“I’m a big fan of film history, particularly the silent era,” Nolan says. “Some of the attractions of cinema to audiences back then were things that also speak to audiences now. Extraordinary sets, extraordinary locations, a cast of thousands. Part of the appeal of those spectacles was that these effects were generated practically, with real sets, locations and scores of extras.”
Nolan adds that while visual effects have transformed what cinema can do, part of the wonder of older films came from seeing something real unfold before the camera.
“What has long interested me is the ability to combine those two things to create the most immersive and powerful experience possible. We can return to an older era of filmmaking, where ‘in-camera’ spectacle was everything for audiences. But we can also address the fantasy through the power of visual effects. For me, this synthesis was an appeal of the project. We are trying to do it all. Which seems totally appropriate for what the Odyssey is and needs to be on screen.”
A Hard Job Worthy of a Legendary Tale
Bringing one of the most important literary works of all time to life was never going to be simple. For Nolan, that challenge was part of the appeal.
“It was a hard job—as it should be. It’s The Odyssey.”
Epic in scale and timeless in emotion, The Odyssey begins its journey in Philippine cinemas on July 15.
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