The first trailer has been released by Universal Pictures of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which has played an exclusive theatrical run with Avatar: Fire and Ash and the limited release of Marty Supreme. The Odyssey is Nolan’s most extreme shift in style yet and sees him venture into a realm that he’s yet to fully explore—that of mythology and the supernatural in an ancient and pre-industrial setting.
Entirely shot in IMAX, The Odyssey represents Nolan’s first historical epic and his oldest-set film to this point. Though the original material comprises one of the most-studied texts in world literature, it’s clear by the trailer alone that Nolan does not intend to achieve such high levels of historical accuracy, even remotely characteristic of a museum-quality historical epic. He is making his own myth.
Christopher Nolan frames The Odyssey as fantasy, not history
Criticism early on regarding the costumes in the film, from subdued armor designs to the incorporation of trousers, indicated Nolan’s move away from historical accuracy. The trailer confirms this notion is deliberate. Rather than depicting “The Odyssey” as an accurate representation of life in Bronze Age Greece, Nolan locates “The Odyssey” more firmly within traditional fantasy film, emphasizing meaning and mood over accurate detail.
This is in keeping with the nature of the tale in question. The Odyssey is replete with gods and monsters and journeys that cannot be taken in reality, and it seems that Nolan is less concerned with rooting such elements in reality than he is with underscoring their epic and psychological resonance.
The supernatural is considered a threat, not entertainment
Among the most interesting aspects of the trailer is how Nolan chooses to represent the fantasy. Monstrous creatures such as Polyphemus the Cyclops are portrayed as being much more about instilling a sense of fear than being a source of wonder. There are quick shots of the men of Odysseus running away from the monster in the form of a shadow.
Likewise, monster sequences and Poseidon’s anger are more about tension than wonder. The ocean is dangerous; the world is unstable. It appears that Nolan is building the path that Odysseus takes as a test of endurance—to survive a world dominated by forces that humans do not understand and find a way back home.
Universal’s plan: reining in revelation
Yet, for a trailer advertised as being a full trailer, there isn’t a whole lot of substance. Notably absent in the trailer are key members of the cast, including Zendaya playing Athena, Charlize Theron playing Circe, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, and Elliot Page. This trailer instead closes out with a conversation between Odysseus (Matt Damon) and Penelope (Anne Hathaway). It seems that Universal and Nolan are dedicated to keeping the mystery alive. The promotional campaign is definitely relying on the brand name of Nolan rather than plot points, much like other campaigns that have come before for films such as Jurassic Park.
With size, secrecy, and ambition, The Odyssey is positioning itself to be a defining experience for theater-going audiences and perhaps even the most-anticipated film of 2026.
