Christopher Nolan’s next film will be an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, Universal Pictures announced.
Homer’s epic poem, written in Greek more than 2,600 years ago, is the story of Odysseus, who journeys home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. The poem, a cornerstone of Western literature, found renewed popularity in the English-speaking world in 2017, when Emily Wilson published a new translation.
In a post on the social platform X, Universal wrote, “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.”
Anticipation for Nolan’s next film has been high ever since his last movie, Oppenheimer, based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, became a box-office hit in 2023 and won the Academy Award for best picture.
The Odyssey has been adapted for the screen many times before, including two miniseries that aired in 1968 and 1997, respectively. O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2000 comedy film, was based, although loosely, on the poem.
Starring in Nolan’s adaptation, Variety reports, will be Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, and Charlize Theron. Nolan will write the screenplay for the film.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
