Christopher Nolan’s Next Film Revealed as Adaptation of “The Odyssey”

The wait to find out what Christopher Nolan’s next film would be about is over. Universal revealed that Nolan’s next film is an adaptation of Homer’s deathless epic poem The Odyssey, which tracks the trials and tribulations of Odysseus as he attempts to return home after the Trojan War, only to have his way blocked by impetuous gods and goddesses.

“Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology,” said the studio. “The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.”

Nolan’s already attracted another star-studded cast, which is de rigueur for him at this point of his career. Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, and Charlize Theron are all already on board. 

Period pics are not new to Nolan, of course, whose last film for Universal, Oppenheimer, was a massive critical and commercial success, earning Nolan both Best Picture and Best Director Oscars, with a slew of statues going around to his collaborators, too, including Cillian Murphy for Best Actor. He also directed The Prestige for Universal in 2006, an adaptation of Christopher Priest’s novel about rival magicians in 1890s London.

However, the Odyssey will be the most historic of Nolan’s historical films, considering Homer’s poem dates back to the 8th century BC and deals with monsters, gods, goddesses, bloody feasts and feral men. Homer’s epic has been adapted before, famously with Kirk Douglass leading Ulysses in 1954, and has inspired countless movies, including the Coen brothers’ 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou. 

For more on Christopher Nolan, check out these stories:

Lupita Nyong’o to Star in Christopher Nolan’s Top-Secret Next Film

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Christopher Nolan’s Next Movie Set at Universal With Matt Damon as Potential Lead

Featured image: Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of OPPENHEIMER. Courtesy Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures.