Andy Serkis Officially Leading New Sci-Fi Odyssey Adaptation

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Andy Serkis at a launch event for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Published Sep 24, 2026, 11:23 AM EDT

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

A new sci-fi adaptation of The Odyssey is confirmed to be on the way with Andy Serkis.

Dating back to around the 8th century BCE, The Odyssey chronicles Odysseus' years-long journey home after the Trojan War. The story has been adapted numerous times, including most recently by filmmaker Christopher Nolan into a blockbuster epic starring Matt Damon.

Per Deadline, Serkis is now set to serve as the narrator for Odysseus Rising, an Audible Original science fiction take on Homer's legendary story. The adaptation will hail from writer Adrian Tchaikovsky, who is best known for penning Children of Time. After development got underway in late 2024, a release is expected on February 25 of next year. The official synopsis, included below, teases some exciting changes to the original tale:

“After a decade of war, Ilium is reduced to a ruined world of ashes…The Ithaca, a ship besieged by oligarchs and parasites, resolutely awaits the return of their Captain. Carrying the weight of duty and the dead, Odysseus begins the long journey home, flying in the face of the Gods. But the Gods will not be defied. If Odysseus is doomed to never reach the safe harbour of his people, he must find a way to bring the Ithaca to him. And so, his real journey begins, not through space, but deep into time itself.”

Serkis shared a statement about Odysseus Rising, praising Tchaikovsky's vision and expressing excitement about participating in the project:

“Adrian’s re-imagining of The Odyssey is a staggering act of ingenuity. Transporting this ancient story into the distant future gives it new life and meaning. As an actor, having the opportunity to voice both Homer and Adrian’s creations is immensely rewarding and recording in tandem with Audible’s cutting-edge production is a dream come true. Listeners are in for a blockbuster treat!”

Tchaikovsky also commented on the announcement, addressing how he went about putting a sci-fi spin on the story while staying true to the original:

“Taking on a project like this was a real challenge, working with the spirit of the original and exploring the concepts of gods, monsters and the great journey through the science-fiction tradition. Following in Odysseus’s footsteps and taking his travels into the realms of space and time, was a real privilege and I’m over the moon to be working with Andy Serkis on the project.”

This new adaptation follows Nolan's The Odyssey hitting theaters on July 17. Featuring a stacked cast that includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, and Jon Bernthal, among others, the film has been a massive success.

Reviews for The Odyssey have been glowing, and the film has a stellar 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has also been a commercial hit, grossing $1.725 billion worldwide.

Odysseus Rising also isn't the only new Odyssey adaptation to be recently announced. In July, it was reported that a TV show called Odysseus is in development from Tanweer Productions and showrunner Karl Gajdusek. The show doesn't yet have a release date, but production is said to be targeting a start next year in Greece and Armenia.

For Serkis, Odysseus Rising is perhaps his most significant audio-only project since 2021, when he narrated the unabridged Lord of the Rings audiobooks. Serkis, of course, remains best known for playing Gollum in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, and his time in Middle-earth isn't over just yet.

In addition to this new sci-fi adaptation of The Odyssey, Serkis is also directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a film that will see him reprise his role as the eponymous creature. The movie, which is set in the 17-year gap after Bilbo's party in The Fellowship of the Ring, is now in production and will release in theaters on December 17, 2027.

It remains to be seen how Odysseus Rising compares to both Homer's Oydssey and Nolan's take on it, but it certainly sounds like a fresh and innovative take on a classic tale. With the release date now about five months away, more promotional materials for the project may not be too far off.