By Greg Evans
The first teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan鈥檚 eagerly awaited epic The Odyssey has started screening in cinemas during showings of Jurassic World Rebirth.
The first official footage reportedly debuted in theatres on Tuesday (1 July). There has been no indication as to when the trailer will appear online, with Nolan preferring his trailers to be enjoyed as a cinematic experience.
However, the trailer has been unofficially leaked online, sending fans of the Oscar-winning director of Oppenheimer into a frenzy. While we won鈥檛 be sharing that version, we do have a description of the trailer鈥檚 content below.
The Odyssey, which is still filming and isn鈥檛 due to be released until July 2026, is an adaptation of Homer鈥檚 ancient Greek poem. The story follows the hero Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War. However, his expedition proves perilous as he has to battle numerous threats and mythological creatures.
The trailer opens with an ominous shot of a dark ocean, followed by a voiceover that says: 鈥淒arkness. Zeus鈥檚 law smashed to pieces. I鈥檓 without a king since my master died. He knew it was an unwinnable war. And then, somehow, he won it.鈥
It then switches to a scene featuring Tom Holland as Odysseus鈥檚 son Telemachus, having a conversation with an unnamed character played by Jon Bernthal, both of whom are surrounded by other individuals in a packed room.
“I have to find out what happened to my father. When did you last see him?” Telemachus asks. Bernthal鈥檚 character loudly replies: 鈥淲ho has a story about Odysseus? You? You have a story? Some say he鈥檚 rich. Some say he鈥檚 poor. Some said he perished. Some said he鈥檚 imprisoned.鈥
The clip then cuts to footage of a man floating on a piece of driftwood in the middle of the sea, which many have assumed to be Damon鈥檚 Odysseus. It the ends with the film鈥檚 title and its release date of 17 July, 2026.
Joining Damon, Holland and Bernthal is an all-star cast that also includes Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong鈥檕, Anne Hathaway and Charlize Theron. More recent casting announcements include Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, Benny Safdie and Elliot Page.
The Odyssey has been partially filmed in Sicily, the island scholars say Homer based a portion of Odysseus鈥檚 journey upon in his 8th century BCE epic.
Favignana is understood to be the place where Homer wrote that Odysseus and his crew landed, collected food, and barbecued goats in the tale. It is part of the Egadi archipelago off of Sicily鈥檚 north west coast.