The teaser trailer for The Odyssey will play in theaters this week in front of Jurassic World Rebirth. Universal Pictures isn't planning to release it online (yet), and has instead chosen to have it play as filmmaker Christopher Nolan intended: on the big screen.
It's a nice idea, but in this day and age, it means most people will see The Odyssey for the first time as a recording from someone's phone. As we first reported on ComicBookMovie.com, that's exactly what's happened, as you'll discover by clicking here (it can also be found here).
The trailer opens with a shot of the sea, and a voice that says, "Darkness. Zeus' law smashed to pieces. A kingdom without a King since my master died. He knew it wasn't a winnable war, and then somehow, somehow, he won it."
Jon Berthal's character can then he heard stating, "I know nothing of Odysseus, not since Troy." Tom Holland, who is clearly playing Telemachus, replies, "I have to find out what happened to my father. When did you last see him?"
The actor's face is shown after shots of a beach and men on horses racing towards a large black horse that may have broken off a ship or something similar. He appears to cry as Bernthal's character (Antinous, perhaps) responds by shouting around the room, "Who has a story about Odysseus? You? You have a story? Some say he's rich, some say he's poor. Some say he perished, some say he's in prison. What say you?"
"In prison?" Telemachus asks, prompting Bernthal's character to declare, "What kind of prison can hold a man like that?" After a few more shots of soldiers, we see Matt Damon's Odysseus at sea, floating on a piece of wreckage—a raft, perhaps—unconscious or dead.
It concludes with "THE ODYSSEY," and is very much just a teaser for what looks to be Nolan's most unique movie to date.
The ancient Greek poem this movie is based on is one of the foundational texts of Western literature. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War, exploring themes of heroism, loyalty, cunning and the struggle against divine will.
The tale includes iconic stories like Odysseus' encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens and the witch-goddess Circe, culminating in a reunion with his wife Penelope.
The cast of The Odyssey includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and Mia Goth.
"Christopher Nolan’s next film The Odyssey is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology," Universal Pictures revealed last December. "The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to Imax film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026."
The Odyssey arrives in theaters on July 17, 2026.