Once again, the air of mystery continues to circulate around Christopher Nolan’s next big film as he attempts to have a go at the sword and sandal epic with one of the oldest recorded stories in history. The Odyssey is on the path to be a film for the ages, crammed with a star-studded cast, even though we don’t know specifically who everyone is playing. Leading the way is Matt Damon’s Odysseus trekking back to his family on a ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. Understandably, bringing such a tale to life will demand some action-packed set-pieces, and a stunt performer on the film has recently revealed some details about what’s in store. Spoiler alert – it’s going to be epic.
While appearing on the Action for Everyone podcast, James Newman kept key details about the film limited, but had some bold claims to make nonetheless. “They’re never going to make a movie like this again,” explained Newman regarding Nolan’s first stint behind the camera since his Oscar-winning endeavour, Oppenheimer. “I think it’s going to be an epic of all epics. It’s going to be Nolan at his best. No holds barred.”
Nolan’s cast is comprised of some familiar talents from his previous works, including Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page, and Benny Safdie. Newcomers include Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo. Naturally, with Spider-Man among the cast, Holland is no stranger to putting in the effort to save the day and Newman spoke highly of the star applying his heroic level of athleticism for the film.
“I had the opportunity to make some action with a talented group of people for the film and also had the opportunity to train Matt Damon and Tom Holland for the film. All the rumors about Tom being physically able are so true. He can literally do anything. He should get every physical role possible,” Newman explained. “With Tom, he’s obviously more athletic, and he’s younger, so he’s going to almost be a younger version of Odysseus.”
Newman also praised Damon for stepping up as one of history’s oldest heroes. “Matt definitely wanted to be more efficient because that’s the character. Odysseus, if anyone is familiar with that story, Odysseus is really the only war scene character along that journey. The guys he has with him have fought with him but Odysseus himself is like, ‘I’ve lived and breathed battle,’ and so that makes him more smart, and that’s why he’s so good,” Newman said. “Matt definitely understood that and then we were trying to play that up as well. So he isn’t going to do flashy things.”
We’ll see just how Damon, Holland, and the rest of the cast fare when The Odyssey sets off into cinemas on July 17, 2026. Speaking of the legendary filmmaker, why not check out our list of every Christopher Nolan movie ranked here.
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