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Christopher Nolan is once again pushing cinematic boundaries. His upcoming film The Odyssey will be the first feature-length movie ever filmed entirely with IMAX cameras, a groundbreaking achievement confirmed by IMAX and first revealed during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The announcement came from IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond during the company’s annual press lunch at Cannes on May 15. Gelfond shared that Nolan personally challenged IMAX to enhance their technology — requesting improvements such as lighter and quieter film cameras — as a condition to film his next project completely in IMAX format. “Chris called me up and said, ‘If you can figure out how to solve the problems, we’ll make Odyssey 100 percent in IMAX.’ And that’s what we’re doing,” Gelfond told reporters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Following the Oscar-winning success of Oppenheimer in 2023, Nolan’s latest directorial effort adapts Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, the mythological Greek king of Ithaca, embarking on his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. Universal Pictures previously announced the film in December, confirming Nolan’s continued partnership with the studio and his ambition to use next-generation IMAX film technology.
The film boasts a powerhouse cast alongside Damon, including Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo, and Benny Safdie. The first official image of Damon as Odysseus, armored and draped in a cape, was released by Universal on February 17. He was later seen filming action-packed scenes in Italy in March, sporting a rugged gray beard and a battle-ready physique.
Production is currently underway in scenic Italian locales, including the island of Favignana, where Damon, Holland, and Zendaya were recently spotted on set. The film is slated to sail into theaters on July 17, 2026.
While The Odyssey has seen several screen adaptations in the past — including 2024’s The Return and the 1997 miniseries starring Armand Assante — Nolan’s version promises a cinematic experience unlike any before, blending ancient myth with cutting-edge filmmaking.
With this bold technical leap, Nolan continues to redefine what’s possible in modern cinema.
