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Universal Pictures
The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is here - and fans are well and truly hyped for its release next year.
The new and much-anticipated adaptation of the Greek epic has a star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, and Jon Bernthal.
The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, recalling Odysseus's (king of Ithaca and the story's protagonist) decade-long journey home following the Trojan War.
The film wrapped in August, with opening night on July 17, 2026, and when select tickets at IMAX 70mm screens were put on sale a year in advance of the release, they quickly sold out.
What do we learn from the trailer?
In the trailer, we get our first look at a bearded Matt Damon as the classic Greek hero Odysseus, who is shipwrecked with his army, and they make the perilous journey back home to Ithaca.
“After years of war … no one could stand between my men … and home … not even me," he says in the voiceover.
The trailer also included a scene of Odysseus and his soldiers inside the infamous Trojan horse.
Viewers also got a glimpse of Anne Hathaway as Odysseus’s wife Penelope and of Tom Holland as his son Telemachus.
Trailer sparks debate over historical accuracy
The trailer also spurred further discussions around the historical accuracy of the film about the ancient Greek epic poem, which has a largely American cast whose characters speak with an American accent, along with the costume design choices, which some feel don't accurately reflect the time period.
"As a Greek, I’m really disappointed in this. Especially as it’s going to be from someone as esteemed and acclaimed as Christopher Nolan…I hope it exceeds my expectations and turns out to be phenomenal," one person said.
A second person shared, "Percy Jackson having a better costume designing than the Odyssey is crazy."
"Can y'all start respecting ALL countries and cultures? The Odyssey is a VERY important and central piece of Greece's history, myth or not. They did not even bother to cast Greeks and got the palest actors possible," a third person posted.
A fourth person asked, "So if Odysseus uses an iPhone to call an Uber and take him home, that's okay too, right? I mean, it's fiction, it's a fairytale, so who cares?"
"I've realised the problem is y'all think ancient Greece is Middle-earth. The Odyssey is not the LoTR set in a vague medieval European setting. The Odyssey is inspired by, created within, and set upon the real cultural and contemporary (at its time) background that is Greece," someone else commented.
However, others shared that historical accuracy isn't a concern of theirs, given that The Odyssey is primarily fiction and mythology, pointing to supernatural figures in the story, like Cyclops, despite drawing inspiration from historical events.
One person said, "The Odyssey is fiction it is a fairytale it is not history it does not f***ing matter if Tom Holland is wearing pants or how their helmets look as long as it's awesome and it is."
" The Odyssey is not historically accurate' There is a cyclops in the movie dude," a second person wrote.
A third person posted, "Can we please stop this ‘The Odyssey is historically inaccurate’ thing I can not do this for 8 months."
"The lion does not concern himself with historical accuracy in The Odyssey," a fourth person shared.
Someone else reacted, "Nolan fanboys won't care, but The Odyssey is going to be an ahistorical mess. First of all, Matt Damon wasn’t even alive back then."
When is the release date for The Odyssey?
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey will be released in cinemas on July 17 2026.
Elsewhere from Indy100, The Odyssey tickets resale rush shows the chokehold Christopher Nolan has on cinema, and Cillian Murphy says he has 'ROMO' over not starring in new hit film.
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