Christopher Nolan is ready to take us on a journey , years in the making.
The Oscar-winning director sent shockwaves through Las Vegas on Wednesday during Universal’s presentation at CinemaCon, where he debuted exclusive, never-before-seen footage of his highly anticipated epic, The Odyssey.
Taking the stage to a thunderous standing ovation, Nolan—fresh off the massive success of Oppenheimer—joked that he was relieved he didn’t have to follow Steven Spielberg’s presentation. But while he kept the mood light, the footage he brought was nothing short of intense.
“Why The Odyssey?” Nolan mused to the crowd. “It’s a story that has fascinated generation after generation for , years; it’s not a story, but the story. I wanted to grab the exciting opportunity of bringing it to a modern cinema audience.”
The director, known for his commitment to the “big screen” experience, confirmed that he realized his dream of capturing the entire film on IMAX. And when it comes to the cast? It’s basically a “who’s who” of Hollywood.
“It would be quicker for me to tell you who isn’t in The Odyssey,” Nolan quipped, adding that he decided to appear on stage solo because the “weight” of the cast’s collective talent would “collapse the stage.”
Leading the charge is Nolan’s frequent collaborator Matt Damon as Odysseus. Nolan affectionately referred to Damon as his “partner” but didn’t sugarcoat the grueling production process, admitting, “This film has been an absolute nightmare to film.”
The footage kicked off with a haunting exchange between a disoriented Odysseus and Calypso, played by a radiant Charlize Theron.
“How long have I been here, Calypso?” Damon’s character asks in the clip. “I don’t remember anything before Troy. Did I have a wife, children, a son? If I had a son, how old would he be now?”
As he speaks, fans get a glimpse of a younger Odysseus in happier times with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and their son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).
But the moment that really set social media ablaze was the reimagining of the legendary Trojan Horse. In a classic Nolan twist, the footage showed the Greeks trapped inside the wooden structure while it was still at sea, with the men fighting for their lives not to drown before ever reaching land.
The sequence escalated into a pulse-pounding night raid, featuring Damon and Jon Bernthal leading a desperate charge through the city of Troy.
The buzz online is already reaching a breaking point, especially considering that IMAX mm tickets for opening day reportedly sold out a year in advance.
Co-star Tom Holland has only added to the hype, recently calling the film an “absolute masterpiece.”
“It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before,” Holland shared. “I think when I saw the movie, I found myself asking a question that I haven’t asked about a movie for a long time, which is, ‘How did you do that?’”
In addition to Damon, Hathaway, and Holland, the film boasts an unbelievable ensemble including Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, and even Travis Scott.
The film follows the -year journey of the Greek king of Ithaca as he battles gods, monsters, and a very literal uphill battle to return home to his family.
The Odyssey is set to hit theaters on July . Grab your popcorn—and maybe a life vest—now.
