Christopher Nolan¡¯s The Odyssey to make history as first full-length IMAX film
Christopher Nolan¡¯s The Odyssey will be the first film ever shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, marking a historic leap in cinema. The mythic epic, starring Matt Damon, hits theatres on July 17, 2026.
Christopher Nolan is doing it again, and this time, he is taking us to Olympus. After the seismic global success of Oppenheimer, which raked in over $975 million (Rs 8,313.1 crore) worldwide and crossed a staggering $100 million (Rs 855.76 crore) just from IMAX screenings alone, Christopher Nolan is back, and he is not just aiming high, he¡¯s aiming for the gods.
The Odyssey, set for a July 17, 2026 release, promises to be unlike anything cinema has ever seen. It will become the first-ever feature film shot entirely using IMAX film cameras, not digital, but the glorious, old-school, large-format film that Nolan has long championed.
Nolan¡¯s challenge to IMAX to do the impossible
At the Cannes Film Festival 2025 press event, IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond dropped the mic with a reveal: a full year before production began, Nolan challenged IMAX to do the impossible. Fix the long-standing technical barriers that had made full-length IMAX filming a logistical nightmare. Noisy cameras. Endless reloading. Delayed dailies.
Number of minutes featuring IMAX 70mm scenes in Christopher Nolan¡¯s films.
¡ª Christopher Nolan Art & Updates (@NolanAnalyst) May 15, 2025
THE ODYSSEY will be the first film in cinema history to be shot entirely in IMAX 70mm, and therefore will have no aspect ratio changes. pic.twitter.com/FvIlYZ8BBH
Nolan¡¯s words to Gelfond? ¡°If you can fix these problems, I¡¯ll shoot the whole film in IMAX.¡± Challenge issued, and accepted.
The result? A complete revolution. IMAX had to rethink its entire filmmaking infrastructure. They are now training a new generation of projectionists, stockpiling spare parts like they are prepping for war, and developing modern film scanners and recorders. Gelfond admitted: Nolan¡¯s vision forced them to invest in their film division like never before.
Christopher Nolan¡¯s first foray into mythology
The Odyssey features Matt Damon as Odysseus, leading a star-studded ensemble that reads like a dream: Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong¡¯o, Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, and Mia Goth. Behind the lens, Nolan¡¯s trusted visual magician Hoyte van Hoytema returns as cinematographer. Shooting is already underway across breathtaking landscapes in Greece, Morocco, and Sicily.
Christopher Nolan¡¯s ¡®THE ODYSSEY¡¯ is set to be the first blockbuster shot entirely on IMAX cameras. pic.twitter.com/Rlz7e8vDyk
¡ª Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 15, 2025
This is also a bold new frontier for 54-year-old Nolan, his first journey into the mythological realm, after dissecting war (Dunkirk), time (Tenet), and theoretical physics (Interstellar). Based on Homer¡¯s timeless epic, the film will follow Odysseus¡¯ perilous journey home after the Trojan War, bringing to life legendary moments including the Cyclops, Circe, and the haunting Sirens.
After the monumental success of Oppenheimer, The Odyssey marks Nolan¡¯s second film with Universal Pictures, and let¡¯s be real, the stakes are sky-high. Nolan has already turned the mid-July release window into his personal playground with Inception, Batman: The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer. Now, he is back to claim the date once again.
First look at the set of Christopher Nolan¡¯s ¡®The Odyssey¡¯ pic.twitter.com/fi8LLkngHH
¡ª ? Physical Media Forever ? (@VHSDVDBLURAY4K) January 24, 2025
But this film is more than just another mega-blockbuster. It is redefining the very future of filmmaking. Nolan¡¯s Odyssey is not just epic in scope, it is epic in every single frame.