The Odyssey trailer: Christopher Nolan’s epic puts Matt Damon to the test

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey trailer is officially out, giving audiences their first real glimpse of Matt Damon as Odysseus, the legendary hero struggling to make it home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.

The trailer immediately sets a somber, intense tone. Matt Damon’s Odysseus is shown battling impossible odds at sea, alongside his men, against storms, currents, and mythical creatures drawn straight from Greek mythology.

Tom Holland plays Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, growing up in his father’s absence, while Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, waiting anxiously for his return.

The Odyssey trailer teases one of the epic’s most famous moments: the encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus. It ends on an emotional note, highlighting Odysseus’ uncertainty about whether he will make it home at all.

The Odyssey trailer gives a sense of the film’s massive scale. Wide shots of Odysseus and his men on a beach and battling the open sea underline how epic this adaptation will be. Nolan doesn’t shy away from the darker, grittier aspects of the story, making it clear that this won’t be a light retelling—Odysseus’ journey is physically and mentally grueling.

Alongside Matt Damon and Tom Holland, The Odyssey cast includes Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Charlize Theron as Circe, and Zendaya as Athena. The trailer hints at how these characters will play pivotal roles in Odysseus’ journey, with divine interventions, betrayals, and mortal challenges shaping his path home.

The film is one of Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious projects yet, with a reported budget of $250 million. The Odyssey trailer, however, focuses squarely on his arduous return journey, giving fans a taste of the intense action and deep emotional stakes to come.

The Odyssey trailer doesn’t reveal everything, which works in its favor. Matt Damon’s Odysseus is portrayed as weary, determined, and vulnerable, a hero whose greatest battles are sometimes against time and fate.