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Christopher Nolan said his new movie The Odyssey proved “an absolute nightmare to film” at CinemaCon 2026 on Wednesday, April 15
The movie stars Matt Damon as the ancient Greek mythological hero Odysseus on his fabled journey home from the Trojan War
The Odyssey hits theaters July 17
Christopher Nolan may be pleased with his new movie, but that does not mean he felt it was easy to bring it to the big screen.
“This film has been an absolute nightmare to film,” Nolan, 55, told an audience at CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 15, as he previewed his upcoming movie The Odyssey. We’re the first to say [it], but in all the right ways. We had an amazing time doing it.”
The Oscar-winning filmmaker appeared solo in Las Vegas to promote The Odyssey, which boasts a star-studded cast that starts with Matt Damon, whom Nolan referred to as “my partner on this journey” after Damon’s supporting performance in 2023’s Oppenheimer. Damon, also 55, portrays the title character Odysseus throughout his years-long journey home to the island of Ithaca after taking part in the mythological Trojan War.
“He was an incredible leader for us. He was just there out on the boats, up the mountains, in the caves, in beating sunshine, in sideways rain and wind, so many different places that we went to,” Nolan said of Damon’s performance in the film. “We went all over the world to make this film because this is The Odyssey. You’ll be pleased to hear how difficult it was for us because it’s meant to be difficult. That’s the nature of the story.”
Matt Damon in The Odyssey
Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
The Odyssey is based on the ancient Greek epic poem known as Homer’s Odyssey. Tom Holland and Damon were first reported to be costarring in Nolan’s next movie as far back as November 2024, and Nolan and Universal Pictures revealed that he was adapting The Odyssey for the big screen in December of that year. The film’s cast also includes Anne Hathaway, who portrays Odysseus’ wife Penelope, as well as Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, among others.
“I would have brought them all here, but the massive weight of extraordinary talent would have collapsed the stage,” Nolan said of his cast during his CinemaCon presentation. “At the core of this story, this is a story about family,” he added. “This is a story about a father’s desperate journey to return home.”
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Matt Damon and Himesh Patel (right) in The Odyssey
Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures
Holland recently previewed The Odyssey in an interview with GQ published April 8. “I can tell you that it is an absolute masterpiece, and I’m taking myself out of that equation,” he said. “Chris Nolan’s movie is fantastic. It’s unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before. I think when I saw the movie, I found myself asking a question that I haven’t asked about a movie for a long time, which is, ‘How did you do that?’ “
The Odyssey sets sail July 17.
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