FilmSkool — a free film school
The Odyssey (2026)
The Odyssey is a 2026 epic action fantasy film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who produced it with his wife Emma Thomas. An adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey, it stars an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. In the film, Odysseus (Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, undergoes…
Directed by Christopher Nolan · Shot by Hoyte van Hoytema · Cut by Jennifer Lame · Music by Ludwig Göransson · 172 min
How it was made
- Production designer Ruth De Jong built a 36-foot, 8,800-pound model of the Trojan Horse, transported to the shoot in 27 separate crates.
- The Cyclops was achieved through a combination of animatronics, puppetry and an on-set performance by actor Bill Irwin, its design influenced by Francisco Goya's painting Saturn Devouring His Son.
- Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick used blackened bronze, silver and sulphur on Agamemnon's armour specifically to signal his elevated status through costlier materials.
- Matt Damon trained for a year and grew a real beard, after Nolan declined to use artificial facial hair, while cutting his weight to 167 pounds on a gluten-free diet to prepare for Odysseus.
- Principal photography ran 91 days across six countries and wrapped nine days ahead of schedule.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Christopher Nolan
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.