Christopher Nolan's star-studded next film is The Odyssey – release date confirmed

"The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026."

After the award-winning success of Nolan's most recent film Oppenheimer, fans were keen to see what his next venture would be, and likely none would've guessed that Nolan would be working on adapting one of the oldest works of literature.

The Ancient Greek epic poem is divided into 24 books and tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War.

The journey itself lasts an additional 10 years as Odysseus has to contend with plenty of perilous hurdles, while his wife Penelope and son Telemachus also have to contend with their own fair share of problems as suitors contend for Penelope's hand in marriage while Odysseus is presumed dead.

So, there's plenty to adapt for the big screen!

It's not the first time that Homer's Odyssey has been brought to life for viewers, with an Italian silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro being released in 1911, as well as 1954's Ulysses being led by Kirk Douglas as the titular character.

More recently, The Return, was released just this year and is based on books 13-24, starred Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche as Odysseus and Penelope.

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And Nolan's The Odyssey will boast a star-studded cast, as it was previously announced that the likes of Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron are all set to feature.

As of yet, we don't know which actors will play which roles, but we can likely already anticipate some memorable performances, especially as they'll be brought to life in new IMAX film technology.

Rumours about Nolan's next project have been rife for a while, especially after the most recent reports that Holland didn't "know anything about" the new film despite signing up to star in it.

Holland had previously said on The Dish podcast: "It hasn’t started shooting. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know anything about it.

"I’m super excited. Everything is very, very hush-hush. I met with [Nolan]. It was awesome. He kind of loosely pitched what it was. And I’m sure when he’s ready, he’ll announce what it is."

Filming on The Odyssey is set to kick off in early 2025, with the release date following a similar time frame normally attributed to Nolan's films, as Oppenheimer was similarly released in July 2023.

The Odyssey will be released in cinemas on 17th July 2026.

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