The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s next film, and it's a mythic action epic coming July 2026

Universal has dropped a cheeky (early) synopsis of Nolan’s next film just as everyone started their holiday break.

We can finally say that we know what Christopher Nolan’s next film is going to be about. Universal Pictures shared the first real details about the highly-anticipated picture in a tweet.

The movie is called The Odyssey, and it’s going to be taking the legendary director into the mythic action genre.

Mythic action is not exactly something you'd associate with Nolan, but seeing as The Odyssey in question is Homer’s actual odyssey, you can pretty much see why. According to Universal, the movie will be released in cinemas on July 17, 2026.

More interestingly, it’s going to be shot “using brand new IMAX film technology,” though it is not clear what that actually means. The Odyssey will be shot at various locations around the world, which seems to suggest a lot of real-world action, rather than soundstage/studio shooting, and production will reportedly begin in the first half of 2025.

While that’s the extent of Universal’s tweet, we do know that The Odyssey already has a stellar cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Lupita Nyong’o, according to industry reports.

The Odyssey is one of Greek culture’s most recognisable (and adapted) epic poems. It is certainly no stranger to film, having been adapted several times, more famously in 1954’s Ulysses. Not all adaptations follow the entire epic, however, as some tend to be loosely based on it, borrowing certain themes or only filming certain sections of the poem - the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? is one such project.

Considering how secretive Nolan likes to be with his projects, we’re not likely to hear any official details until much closer to release. Even then, they’re going to be more than a little vague, especially if we assume that it won’t be straightforward adaptation.