If the early ticket sales are anything to go by, The Odyssey will be massive by the time it makes its way to the big screen next summer. Universal isn't stupid, and they want Oppenheimer lightning to strike again, but there are some massive differences between the two films. Besides, at the time of writing, there was no "Barb" to match its "Enheimer." There's also the fact that while The Odyssey is one of the most famous stories of all time, there are still people who know absolutely nothing about it or read a single verse of an epic open (Bush should have left some of you behind). The early footage is only in theaters, a rare moment when a trailer hit before a movie was even released, but there wasn't much time. According to World of Reel, The Odyssey has reportedly wrapped production.
The Odyssey started filming back in late February, but considering how many people are in this cast, it's not at all surprising that it took this long. You have to juggle a lot of schedules and time things just right to make it work. There's also the variety of time people would have spent on set, with some there from almost day one and others, like Charlize Theron, who was only on set for two weeks. However, Nolan has done this song and dance several times, so if anyone can make the scheduling nightmare that is a massively stacked cast work, it's him.
Christopher Nolan Returning To Universal For The Odyssey Makes Total Sense
At the beginning of October 2024, it was officially announced that Christopher Nolan would be returning to Universal for his next film following the success of Oppenheimer. It seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Nolan's relationship with Warner Bros. Universal, which appears to be giving him whatever he wants, which makes sense considering the whole Barbeheimer thing, the box office, and the awards season. Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Iddo Goldberg, John Leguizamo, and Michael Vlamis have reportedly joined the cast, and the untitled film was given a prime-time release date of July 17, 2026. On December 24, 2024, it was announced on X/Twitter that Nolan would be adapting the classic, The Odyssey: "Christopher Nolan's next film 'The Odyssey' is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer's foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026."
What happened with Oppenheimer in the summer of 2023 was one of those beautiful and possibly once-in-a-lifetime moments. The way the world leaned into the Barbenheimer thing and proved that there was space for two excellent films to open simultaneously without cannibalizing each other was almost unheard of. People will try to make it happen again, but it was an organic thing that came about with no influence from studio marketing. Studio marketing and everyone involved decided that leaning in was the way to go, and it worked out well for everyone.
Barbie ended up with a total box office of $1.45 billion and a place in the pop culture landscape that isn't going away anytime soon. Nolan's Oppenheimer walked away with a sweet $976 million, becoming the third highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time [at the time of writing] and securing its place in the pop culture conversation by becoming a slow-moving character piece that did numbers. Oppenheimer also won seven Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor. So it's not surprising that Universal happily courted Nolan again and is likely doing exactly what Warner Bros. did in the heyday of their partnership: writing him a blank check and setting him loose on a movie set.
.png)
Follow Us