For millennia, the epic poems of Homer have profoundly shaped Western literature and thought with their timeless tales of heroism, gods, and the enduring human spirit. While The Iliad plunges us into the raw intensity of the Trojan War’s final weeks, unleashing the wrath of Achilles and detailing the tragic fall of a mighty city, its equally monumental successor, The Odyssey, unfolds a distinct, yet equally compelling, narrative. This second great epic shifts its focus from the blood-soaked battlefields to the treacherous seas and distant, mythical lands, chronicling the legendary Greek hero Odysseus’s decade-long odyssey to reclaim his home and family after the fall of Troy.
Director Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the timeless epic, The Odyssey, is slated for release on July 17, 2026. The film will be presented in IMAX, with Nolan’s long-time creative partner, Emma Thomas, producing. The star-studded cast features Matt Damon in the lead role as the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, while Tom Holland will portray his son, Telemachus.
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Further cast members whose roles have not yet been revealed include Jon Bernthal, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Benny Safdie, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron, Cisni Jarvis, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, and Samantha Morton, among many others.
The poem begins not in the immediate aftermath of the Trojan War, but years later. The war has ended, and most of the Greek heroes have returned. However, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who devised the Trojan Horse, has been lost at sea for ten long years. During his prolonged absence, his palace in Ithaca has been overrun by a horde of arrogant suitors, all vying for the hand of his faithful wife, Penelope, and devouring his wealth. Their insolence and disrespect create a perilous situation for Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, who is coming of age and struggling to assert himself against the oppressive suitors.
The narrative then splits, following both Odysseus’s incredible voyage and Telemachus’s efforts to find news of his father and protect his household. Telemachus, encouraged by the goddess Athena, embarks on his journey to consult with old war companions of his father, like Nestor and Menelaus, seeking any information about Odysseus’s fate.
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Meanwhile, Odysseus is finally released from the island by the nymph Calypso, who has held him captive for seven years, deeply in love with him but unable to claim his heart. His journey home is fraught with peril, a truly “odyssey-like” experience that has given the word its modern meaning. He encounters a series of mythical creatures and challenges that test his intellect and strength. They include the Lotus-Eaters, the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sorceress Circe, and the Sirens.
After enduring countless hardships and losing all his men, Odysseus finally reaches Ithaca, disguised as an old beggar by Athena.
The climax of the poem arrives with Odysseus’s epic return to his palace, disguised as an old beggar, and the ensuing battle against the suitors. With the help of Telemachus and a few loyal individuals, Odysseus proves his identity by stringing his bow, a feat none of the suitors can achieve. He then unleashes a brutal and bloody revenge on the suitors, restoring order to his household and reclaiming his throne.
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The Story Behind Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’: Illustrated Artworks of The Legendary Tales Related To Gods, Monsters & Odysseus’s Epic Return
Image Credit: Public Domain/The MET Odysseus and His Companions Fighting the Cicones Before the City of Ismaros.
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The Story Behind Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’: Illustrated Artworks of The Legendary Tales Related To Gods, Monsters & Odysseus’s Epic Return
Image Credit: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images Ulysses Overcoming Polyphemus
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The Story Behind Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’: Illustrated Artworks of The Legendary Tales Related To Gods, Monsters & Odysseus’s Epic Return
Image Credit: Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, hurls boulders at Ulysses’s ship. A story in Homer’s Odyssey.
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Aeolus gives Ulysses bag of winds
Image Credit: Getty Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, god of the sea, suffered a brutal blinding. In a furious bid for revenge, Poseidon vowed to thwart Odysseus’s journey home. Despite this looming divine wrath, Odysseus and his crew initially found fair winds after escaping the Cyclops’ island. Odysseus receives from Aeolus the sack of contrary winds here.
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Odysseus companions open the bag of winds
Image Credit: Sepia Times/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images While Odysseus slept, his companions, convinced Aeolus’s gift was filled with gold and jewels, greedily opened the sack of contrary winds. The powerful gales immediately escaped, scattering the fleet and forcing the sailors to desperately search for a safe haven.
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Circe changing companions of Ulysses into beasts
Image Credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images Circe changing the companions of Odysseus into beasts. Odysseus faced the same fate as his men, but Hermes, foreseeing the danger, equipped him with an herb that broke Circe’s spell and left him invulnerable.
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Teiresias Foretells the Future to Odysseus, 1780-1783. Artist: Füssli (Fuseli), Johann Heinrich (1741-1825)
Image Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images Finally, Odysseus and his men resolved to press on. Circe willingly granted leave but insisted he first journey to Hades to consult the blind prophet Tiresias. Following her guidance, they sailed to the Underworld’s entrance, performing the rites to open its doors.
Tiresias warned of Poseidon’s continued vengeance and strictly forbade disturbing the sun god’s flocks on Thrinacia, or face destruction. After the prophecy, Odysseus lingered, speaking with the ghosts of family and fallen heroes like Agamemnon and Achilles, before tearing himself away to sail for Ithaca.
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Odysseus and the Sirens
Image Credit: Getty Images Their journey next led them to the Sirens’ island. Here, two winged creatures unleashed voices and songs that proved utterly captivating to passing sailors. Their lair was a gruesome testament to their power, surrounded by the skeletal remains of those they’d ensnared. To combat this deadly lure, Odysseus instructed his men to fill their ears with pliable wax. As for himself, he commanded them to secure him firmly to the ship’s mast, allowing him to experience the irresistible melody without succumbing to its fatal embrace.
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Odysseus and Calypso
Image Credit: Sepia Times/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images On the left in the background Odysseus manages to save himself from the sea monster Charybdis by clinging to a fig tree. On the right, Odysseus is received by Calypso. Mercury descends from Olympus to request Calypso to let Odysseus go. In the foreground, Odysseus is building a raft.
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Ulysses Men Steal the Cattle of Helios
Image Credit: Getty Escaping the treacherous straits, Odysseus’s crew, exhausted and hungry, convinced him to land on Hyperion’s island, the sun god’s domain, despite Tiresias’s dire warnings. Though they swore an oath not to touch the sacred cattle, relentless winds trapped them there for a month, dwindling their supplies and testing their resolve.
While Odysseus was away, desperation broke their promise; they slaughtered the finest cattle. Odysseus returned, realising his men and ships were condemned. Seven days later, as they sailed and vengeance struck: Poseidon roused the sea, and Zeus hurled thunderbolts, shattering their ships and casting the men into the raging depths. Only Odysseus survived, eventually washing ashore on Calypso’s island.
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Ulysses And Calypso
Image Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images Washed ashore, Odysseus was discovered by Calypso, a nymph goddess and daughter of the Titans. She nursed him back to health, quickly falling deeply in love with him. Desperate to make him her eternal consort, Calypso held Odysseus captive on her isolated island for seven long years, tempting him with the promise of immortality if he would only consent to marry her. But Odysseus’s heart remained steadfast, aching solely for his home and his beloved Penelope. At last, divine compassion stirred. Zeus dispatched Hermes to deliver the decree: Calypso must release her prisoner. Though her heart was heavy with reluctance, she obeyed, even assisted Odysseus in constructing a raft. Her farewell, however, was a chilling reminder that his arduous journey was far from over.
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Odysseus and Nausicaa
Image Credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images After being shipwrecked, an exhausted Odysseus was discovered by Nausicaa, the princess of the Phaeacians. She provided him with garments and directions to her parents, King Alcinous and Queen Arete, whom he humbly supplicated. Welcomed by the Phaeacians, Odysseus eventually revealed his identity and recounted his epic tale.Moved by his suffering, the Phaeacians then generously provided him with a magical ship and crew, finally sailing him safely back to his homeland of Ithaca.
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Odysseus transformed by Athena into a beggar
Image Credit: GEtty Odysseus transformed by Athena into a beggar on return to Ithaca.
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Odysseus and Telemachus
Image Credit: Ivy Close Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Odysseus makes himself known to his son after he finally returned home – but he keeps his presence a secret until he rids his palace of the suitors trying to win his wife’s hand in marriage
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Ulysses Shoots The First Arrow At The Wooers’
Image Credit: Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images Odysseus killing the suitors of his wife Penelope after returning to Ithaca after his long absence at the Trojan War and on his Odyssey
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Penelope Recognizes Odysseus
Image Credit: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images After a fierce battle, Odysseus slaughters all of the suitors, reclaiming his home. He then reveals his true identity to Penelope, who, after a clever test involving their immovable marriage bed, finally accepts him, thus reestablishing peace and his rightful rule over Ithaca.