The first online trailer for The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s ancient Greek literary cornerstone, is finally here, giving us a look at some of the star-studded cast in their best swords and sandals attire, as well as the results of his fancy new film technology.
Things mostly focus on Odysseus, the lead character played by Matt Damon, as he and his troops prepare to return home to their families after fighting in the Trojan war.
But there’s more than just stormy weather threatening to stop them, as there’s a whole bunch of mythological beasties getting in their way too, although that’s kept to a minimum in this trailer.
We also get some stunning wide location shots, which is no surprise, as studio Universal boasts that the film is “a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology”, something the trailer further notes at the end.
It’s actually the first commercially released, non-documentary film to be shot entirely on IMAX’s 70 mm film cameras, which was said to be a huge challenge thought nearly impossible, partly due to the size and noise of the cameras.
Universal
Related: UK film release dates
IMAX boss Richard Gelfond recalled that Nolan called him up and said: “‘I’m going to give you a challenge. If you can figure out how to solve these problems, I’m going to make Odyssey 100% film, with film with IMAX cameras,’ and we’ve solved his problems.”
But Nolan didn’t just assemble the best cameras around for his Oppenheimer follow-up, but also some of the biggest name actors around.
We see bits of Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland in this trailer, as Odysseus’ wife Penelope and son Telemachus, respectively, but we’ve got way more than those two in the cast.
There’s Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, and Samantha Morton, to name just a few.
Universal
Related: The Odyssey has reignited a tiresome accent debate which makes no sense
As noted above, this is the first trailer released online, but there was a teaser released in cinemas alongside blockbusters like Superman in the summer.
There’s also currently a trailer and extended scene playing only in IMAX cinemas, so if you go and see Avatar: Fire and Ash, you’ll get even more of a sneak peek.
The Odyssey arrives in cinemas, both regular and IMAX, on 17 July 2026.
Love TV? Get your Christmas viewing sorted with the Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide, featuring 14 days of Christmas TV listings, plus everything you need for the ultimate festive viewing experience! Just £4.75 – available now at Morrisons, TG Jones and all other good magazine retailers.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.