Universal Pictures has released a new poster for Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic The Odyssey, highlighting Matt Damon's portrayal of Odysseus. The reveal coincides with reports of a leaked trailer circulating online after theater screenings. The film adapts Homer's foundational saga and is set for release in 2026.
A fresh poster for The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's mythic action epic, spotlights the helmet worn by Matt Damon as the titular hero Odysseus. The image arrives amid buzz from social media, where fans report a new trailer leaking after it played before screenings of Avatar: Fire and Ash in theaters worldwide.
As Avatar: Fire and Ash rolls out globally, excitement builds for pre-show content, including an Avengers: Doomsday teaser and a 6-minute prologue for The Odyssey on select IMAX screens. The prologue has already surfaced on platforms like X and TikTok, while the full trailer—rumored to be in theaters this weekend—has sparked online chatter about its availability. If confirmed, an official online release could follow soon, perhaps next week or around the New Year.
The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his decade-long journey home to wife Penelope after the Trojan War, encountering numerous trials. Nolan, who shot the film over 91 days across real seas, emphasized its primal scale: "We shot over two million feet of film. It’s pretty primal! I’ve been out on [the water] for the last four months. We got the cast who play the crew of Odysseus’ ship out there on the real waves, in the real places. And yeah, it’s vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift."
He added, "Emma [Thomas] said it best when we first announced the project: it’s foundational. There’s a bit of everything in it. I mean, it truly contains all stories." Nolan sought to fill a gap in cinematic mythology: "As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before... I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do."
The ensemble cast includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, and others. Universal Pictures describes it as "a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology," bringing Homer’s saga to IMAX screens for the first time. The film opens in theaters on July 17, 2026.
