Universal Pictures has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, taking audiences inside the making of the filmmaker’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s legendary Greek epic. While the film’s trailer had already offered a glimpse of Nolan’s vision, the newly released video shifts the focus behind the camera, showcasing the scale of the production, its practical filmmaking approach and the extensive work that has gone into bringing the ancient tale to life.
The featurette, titled On the Set of The Odyssey, runs for just over a minute and features comments from cast members including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, alongside new footage from the production.
Matt Damon calls The Odyssey the biggest film of his career
The behind-the-scenes video suggests that The Odyssey could become Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious project to date, with cast members repeatedly emphasising the sheer scale of the undertaking.
Leading the film as Odysseus, Matt Damon described the project as unlike anything he has worked on before.
“This is definitely the biggest movie that I’ve ever done in my career in terms of its scale,” Damon says in the video, adding, “Definitely the biggest movie I’ve ever done in terms of its ambition.”
While the film is rooted in Greek mythology and features larger-than-life adventures, the cast stressed that Nolan has remained committed to emotional storytelling.
Zendaya, who portrays the goddess Athena, says the filmmaker has found a balance between spectacle and human drama. “A great filmmaker like Christopher Nolan can do scope and action and fantasy, but also heart and humanity and depth and rawness.”
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Christopher Nolan continues his commitment to practical filmmaking
The featurette also highlights Christopher Nolan’s long-standing preference for practical effects over heavy reliance on computer-generated imagery.
Among the most striking visuals are enormous wooden Greek ships sailing through real ocean waters, a giant Trojan Horse being transported through a sprawling fortress and vast natural landscapes standing in for the ancient Mediterranean world.
The footage showcases towering cliffside structures, desert expanses and large-scale sets built specifically for the production, reinforcing Nolan’s reputation for creating immersive cinematic worlds through practical means.
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Christopher Nolan has previously spoken about the film’s commitment to authenticity, revealing that actors portraying Odysseus’ crew spent months filming on real seas and real-world locations to capture the hardships of the legendary journey.
New footage offers a closer look at the cast
The featurette provides fresh glimpses of several cast members in character.
Matt Damon appears as a rugged, battle-scarred Odysseus, while Zendaya is seen in elegant period attire as Athena. Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’ son Telemachus, describes the project as the culmination of Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking journey.
Calling The Odyssey “an accumulation of all of his (Christopher Nolan) skills and all of his experiences,” Holland suggests that the film brings together everything Nolan has learned throughout his career.
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In an earlier conversation with GQ Sports, Holland described working on The Odyssey as “the job of a lifetime, without a doubt” and said he believed the film would be “unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”
Among the standout moments in the video is a closer look at Robert Pattinson as Antinous. Dressed in detailed period armour, Pattinson plays one of the story’s principal antagonists and the most prominent of the suitors seeking the hand of Penelope, portrayed by Anne Hathaway, while Odysseus remains away from home. The role places him in direct opposition to Matt Damon’s hero and sets up one of the film’s central conflicts.
Pattinson also shared his excitement about the finished film.
“Even though I’m in the movie, I’m really imagining myself watching the movie. I’m almost more excited to watch it,” he says.
A landmark achievement in IMAX filmmaking
One of the biggest revelations highlighted by the featurette is the film’s use of IMAX technology.
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The Odyssey has been shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, making it the first feature film ever to achieve that feat. The accomplishment reportedly required the development of new camera systems designed to overcome limitations that previously made IMAX cameras difficult to use in dialogue-heavy productions.
The film will also receive special screenings in premium 70mm and 35mm formats, continuing Christopher Nolan’s long-standing commitment to large-format filmmaking and theatrical exhibition.
One of Nolan’s biggest ensembles yet
The cast extends far beyond the actors featured prominently in the behind-the-scenes video. Alongside Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, the film also stars Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal, making it one of the most star-studded ensembles assembled for a Christopher Nolan project.
The Odyssey arrives in theatres on July 17, 2026.
