Christopher Nolan Says ‘The Odyssey’ Used ‘Over 2 Million Feet of Film’ and Shot for 91 Days: ‘You’re Looking for Things That Haven’t Been Done Before’

Christopher Nolan revealed to Empire magazine that he “shot over 2 million feet of film” during the making of “The Odyssey,” which filmed for 91 days earlier this year. The movie is Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic and marks his follow-up project to “Oppenheimer,” which won Nolan the Oscars for best picture and director.

“As a filmmaker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before,” Nolan told the publication and why he chose to turn Homer’s “Odyssey” into a movie. “And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with – Ray Harryhausen movies and other things – I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do.”

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Matt Damon reunites with Nolan after “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer” to headline “The Odyssey” in the lead role of Odysseus. Tom Holland plays his son, Telemachus. The sprawling ensemble also includes Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal.

In typical Nolan fashion, the filming of “The Odyssey” was “pretty primal” as the cast and crew shot on as many real locations as possible. This included shooting on the open ocean.

“It’s vast and terrifying and wonderful and benevolent, as the conditions shift,” Nolan said. “We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world… By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways. Because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you.”

Damon told Empire magazine that “The Odyssey” will be “exactly what you want of a summer movie,” adding: “It should be the most massively entertaining film. It should feel mythic.”

“I can say, without hyperbole, that it was the best experience of my career,” Damon added, noting that he remembered showing up to set one day to see an actual Trojan horse recreated at full scale. “I saw the horse on the beach and I was just like, ‘Fuck.’ It was just so cool.”

“The Odyssey” is set for release on July 17 from Universal Pictures.

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