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Universal Launches Its Oscar Push for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ With Matt Damon in the Lead

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Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ has already made box office history. The epic adaptation of Homer’s poem became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever worldwide, finished with $625.6 million domestically and stands as Nolan’s biggest film to date.

Now the conversation is moving from ticket sales to awards season. Prediction markets have had ‘The Odyssey’ among the early favorites for Best Picture since its record-breaking opening in July, and Universal is officially making its case to Academy voters.

Universal has unveiled its “For Your Consideration” campaign for ‘The Odyssey’, and the studio is going big. According to Forbes, citing Gold Derby and Variety, the film is being pushed in 16 categories.

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Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus, is the only actor campaigned in a lead category, for Best Actor. Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and John Leguizamo are being put forward for Best Supporting Actor, while Anne Hathaway and Samantha Morton are campaigning for Best Supporting Actress.

Nolan is in the running for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and he and Emma Thomas are backed for Best Picture as producers. The ad also lists the film’s top craftspeople across the technical categories.

The campaign spotlights many of Nolan’s longtime collaborators. Hoyte van Hoytema is up for Best Cinematography, Jennifer Lame for Best Film Editing, and Ludwig Göransson for Best Original Score.

Göransson also shares a Best Original Song push with James Blake for “When I’m Home.” Ellen Mirojnick is in the running for Best Costume Design, while Ruth De Jong and Larry Dias are campaigned for Best Production Design.

The film is also being pushed in Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Casting for John Papsidera, and Best Visual Effects, led by supervisor Andrew Jackson. The acting list left out several big names. Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and Himesh Patel aren’t part of the campaign.

Universal hasn’t explained the choices. Forbes noted that the Academy allows a film to submit up to 10 actors and 10 actresses, so the omissions were not forced by the rules, and suggested the studio may be trying to avoid splitting votes in categories with only 5 nominees.

World of Reel argued that several of the left-out performers had limited screen time, with Zendaya and Theron given relatively little to do. Some of those actors could still be recognized through a possible ensemble nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Universal is also lining up some big names to support the campaign. A series of screenings and Q&As in Los Angeles this month will feature Robert Downey Jr., Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg as moderators in conversation with Nolan.

Damon is also set to host a Q&A tied to a making-of documentary about the film. Many of the events will pair the conversations with IMAX 70mm screenings, highlighting the film’s status as the first feature shot entirely on IMAX film cameras.

Variety has predicted the film could earn about a dozen nominations. With a massive box office run and strong reviews praising its direction and set pieces, ‘The Odyssey’ appears to be one of the most powerful contenders of the season.

The film also arrives on digital, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray in mid-November, giving voters and fans another chance to revisit it. If the campaign succeeds, Nolan’s epic could add Oscar glory to its box office records.

How many Oscar nominations do you think The Odyssey will earn?

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