Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Officially Launches Stunning New Release

Published Aug 27, 2026, 11:28 AM EDT

Serving as the director's follow-up to 2023's Oppenheimer, the action epic chronicles the story of Matt Damon's Odysseus, and his arduous journey home after the Trojan War. The Odyssey hit theaters on July 17 and continues to dominate in theaters, with critics and audiences alike largely blown away by the sheer spectacle.

As the film remains available on the big screen, a new release for the title is now here in the form of Filming the Odyssey: Inside the Making of Christopher Nolan's Modern Epic. The Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition, which features a unique cloth cover design and two 8x10 art prints, is now available for purchase for $70. The standard hardcover edition of the book retails for $75.

As revealed in ScreenRant's exclusive preview of Filming the Odyssey, the Insight Editions book features concept art, interviews with Nolan and other key creatives, set photos, and more. Written by James Mottram with a foreword by Damon, the book has been designed to serve as the ultimate companion piece to the movie, revealing how Nolan brought his epic vision to life across 280 pages.

Given how popular The Odyssey has been in theaters, the companion book could end up being a popular purchase. As of writing, the Nolan movie has grossed a staggering $1.453 billion worldwide, making it the filmmaker's highest grossing movie ever, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises' $1.085 billion.

The critical response to The Odyssey has also been glowing. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an impressive 94% from critics, with the Popcornmeter even higher at a near-perfect 97%.

ScreenRant's own The Odyssey review by Alex Harrison awards the film a perfect score of 10 out of 10. For Harrison, the Nolan movie manages to feel both thrilling and moving, offering up strong emotional stakes to accompany some jaw-dropping set pieces. Harrison writes:

All of these elements combine for a truly cinematic experience that, if you wish, you can simply sink into. But anyone wishing to pick apart The Odyssey, as audiences often do to Nolan's other blockbusters, has many avenues to do so. It is a fascinating adaptation, both for the ways it's faithful and the ways it isn't. Any fan of this filmmaker should be thrilled by how it elaborates on pet themes he's returned to over the years – the struggle to return home, for example, is often central to his movies, but he's never dedicated as much time to the homecoming itself as The Odyssey requires. The resulting scenes are all the more emotional in that context.

Clocking in at two hours and 52 minutes and featuring a star-studded cast that includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Himesh Patel, and John Leguizamo, among others, there's evidently much to unpack with The Odyssey. The movie is also the only one to ever be shot entirely on IMAX.

It remains to be seen how The Odyssey's legacy will continue to evolve, but signs point to the film becoming a Nolan favorite. The movie's scope and scale could make the companion book an invaluable way to further explore and understand this ambitious project, from script to screen.

Release Date July 15, 2026

Runtime 173 minutes