Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” to Deploy New IMAX Technology & Film a Portion on Sicily’s “Goat Island”

Christopher Nolan is following his critical and commercial smash Oppenheimer with a look at another historical figure, and one who’s even more mythic than the man once dubbed the American Prometheus. Nolan’s adapting Homer’s The Odyssey for Universal Pictures, and he’s doing so with another of his stellar casts, his ace producing partner (and wife) Emma Thomas, and the use of new IMAX film technology. Also goats.

Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus’s long-delayed journey home will be partly shot on the Sicilian island Favignana, Variety scoops. Also known as “goat island,” Favignana is where scholars believe that Homer’s hero Odysseus came ashore with his doomed crew to feast on barbecued goats and sure up their provisions for the voyage home. Favignana is part of the Aegadian Islands, situated roughly 11 miles west of the Sicilian coast.

Nolan and his longtime collaborator, cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, will be deploying new IMAX film cameras for the shoot that are 30% quieter and lighter due to their carbon fiber construction. These lighter cameras will enable Hoytema and Nolan to capture more shots than would have been possible with the older, heavier models. It will also help them deal with the fact the older IMAX cameras made certain scenes more difficult to hear, which was especially an issue for Nolan, considering he doesn’t like to use automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), a traditional technique for filling in dialogue later for a scene that’s a little too loud or sonically chaotic on set.

Variety also learned from their sources that Nolan will likely film some of The Odyssey in Sicily’s Eolian islands, while previously announced non-Sicilian locations include Morocco and the U.K.

The cast for Nolan’s upcoming mythical epic includes Lupita Noyong’o, Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland,  Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. Their specific roles have not yet been announced.

Homer’s “The Odyssey” takes readers on the decade-long, torturous journey of Odysseus following the Trojan War as he tries to return to his home island of Ithaca and his wife, Penelope, and son Telemachus. The Gods have other plans for Odysseus, however, and throw all manner of horrors his way, eventually taking the lives of every member of his crew and pitting Odysseus’s wits and persistence against some formidable adversaries, including Circe and the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus. If you’re looking for a good, modern translation of the book, we suggest Emily Wilson’s “The Odyssey,” which is crystalline and vibrant—she writes it in iambic pentameter verse—yet still retains the subtle weirdness of Homer’s tale.

For more on Christopher Nolan, check out these stories:

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

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

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.