Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Reveals Stunning First Look at Pattinson and Zendaya

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey is shaping up to be a massive cinematic event. Empire has released the first look at Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in the movie, giving fans a glimpse of the highly anticipated cast in action.

The film is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, following the legendary king Odysseus as he struggles to return home after the Trojan War.

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, with Anne Hathaway playing his wife Penelope. Tom Holland is cast as Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, while Zendaya takes on the role of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.

Robert Pattinson will appear as Antinous, one of Penelope’s suitors, and Charlize Theron plays the witch-goddess Circe. The ensemble also includes Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, and many others.

Nolan began writing The Odyssey in March 2024 and secured the project with Universal Pictures by October. The film was officially announced in December 2024, and casting continued into late 2024, with Matt Damon confirmed as Odysseus in February of this year.

Filming took place from February to August in multiple international locations, including Morocco, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Iceland, and the Western Sahara. With an estimated budget of $250 million, The Odyssey is the most expensive film of Nolan’s career and his first to be shot entirely on IMAX 70mm film.

The story follows Odysseus’s perilous journey home as he encounters mythical creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and Circe, all while trying to reunite with Penelope. Christopher Nolan described Odysseus as “an amazing strategist, [and] a very wily person” and said he was drawn to the character’s cleverness and inventiveness.

The Odyssey is set to hit theaters in the United States on July 17, 2026, through Universal Pictures.

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