The Odyssey

Defy the gods.
The Odyssey (2026)
Timing: 2:53 (173 min)
8.3/10
398 502
9/10
1
8/10
3508
8.4/10
142046
Rate the movie:
Release date
Budget
$250 000 000
Box office
$1 561 164 965
Producer
Camera operator
Artist
Ruth de Jong, Yunhong Xue
Audition
Editing

Short description

Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he is forced to confront the whims of gods, mythological monsters, and trials that stretch both his cunning and his humanity to the breaking point.

What's left behind the scenes

  • Christopher Nolan decided to make this film because he had always been a great admirer of the work of Ray Harryhausen (an artist, designer, and visual effects master), and also because high-budget films based on classical mythology had not been made for some time.
  • According to director, screenwriter, and producer Christopher Nolan, he intentionally depicted the gods of the Greek pantheon through natural phenomena that were associated with the supernatural in ancient times.
  • A total of 5,300 costumes were sewn for the film. At certain points, over 500 costume designers worldwide were working on the movie.
  • Several Trojan horses, each over 10 meters tall, were constructed for the shoot. One horse, which was moved along the shore repeatedly, ended up severely damaged as a result; a joke even circulated among the crew that the horse would need nine lives, like a cat, to make it to the end of filming.
  • A drakkar (a modern replica of a Viking ship), built in Norway according to ancient blueprints, was used as Odysseus's ship. Before the filming, the drakkar had crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice, and it participated in the shoot along with its entire crew.
  • When working with the props used in Odysseus' journey, which lasted many years, the filmmakers specifically researched how constant wear affects fabric, the impact of seawater on bronze, how dyes fade under the Mediterranean sun, and how equipment accumulates defects during a prolonged war.
  • Christopher Nolan decided to make this film because he had always been a great admirer of the work of visual effects master Ray Harryhausen, and also because high-budget films based on classical mythology had not been made for some time.
  • The Cyclops Polyphemus was a 6-meter animatronic puppet. It was operated by Bill Irwin, who had worked with Christopher Nolan in the same capacity on the sci-fi drama 'Interstellar' (2014).
  • During filming, specially designed IMAX camera housings were used to muffle the sound of the camera motors, thereby making it easier to record dialogue. Attempts to create similar housings for the sci-fi action movie 'Tenet' were unsuccessful.
  • While preparing for the role of Penelope, Anne Hathaway spent several weeks learning to weave on looms that were replicas of ancient equipment.
  • Several Trojan horses, over 10 meters tall, were constructed for the shoot. One horse, which was moved along the shore repeatedly, became severely damaged; as a result, a joke circulated among the crew that the horse would need nine lives, like a cat, to make it to the end of filming.
  • When working with the props used in Odysseus's multi-year journey, the artists investigated how constant wear affects fabric, the impact of seawater on bronze, how dyes fade under the Mediterranean sun, and how defects accumulate in gear during wartime.
  • A total of 5,300 costumes were sewn for the film. At certain points, over 500 costume designers, scattered across the globe, were working on the production.
  • An IMAX camera only holds enough film for three minutes of shooting. The camera assistant learned to reload the rolls so quickly that the actors didn't have to wait very long.
  • At the request of director Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon grew a beard for the role of Odysseus. The actor later mentioned that he had never grown a beard before.
  • To film certain scenes, equipment—specifically IMAX cameras weighing nearly 200 kg—had to be airlifted up mountain slopes by helicopter.
  • To film certain scenes, cinematic equipment—specifically IMAX cameras weighing nearly 200 kg—had to be airlifted up mountain slopes by helicopter.
  • During filming, specially designed IMAX camera housings were used to muffle the sound of the camera motors, thereby facilitating the recording of dialogue. Attempts to create similar housings for the sci-fi action film "Tenet" (Christopher Nolan, 2020) yielded unsatisfactory results.
  • The Cyclops Polyphemus was a six-meter animatronic puppet. It was operated by Bill Irwin.
  • An IMAX camera holds only a few minutes of film before it needs to be reloaded. Camera assistant Keith Davis learned to reload the film so quickly that the actors in the scene only had to wait a short while, remaining in character, before filming could resume.
  • Approximately 640 km of film were used during production.
  • A drakkar (a replica of a Viking ship) built in Norway was used as Odysseus's ship. Before the filming of the movie, the drakkar had crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice, and it participated in the shoot along with its entire crew.
  • At the request of director Christopher Nolan (who also served as the project's screenwriter and producer), Matt Damon grew a beard for the role of Odysseus. The actor later mentioned that he had never grown a beard before.

Similar movies

Did you like the film?

To leave a comment, please log in or sign up. Free sign up!

© ACMODASI, 2010-2026

All rights reserved.
The materials (trademarks, videos, images and text) contained on this site are the property of their respective owners. It is forbidden to use any materials from this site without prior agreement with their owner.
When copying text and graphic materials (videos, images, text, screenshots of pages) from this site, an active link to the site www.acmodasi.com must necessarily accompany such material.
We are not responsible for any information posted on this site by third parties.