Updated at 1.25 pm PT with red carpet inteviews, Nolan speech… Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron hit the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square on Monday evening for the world premiere of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
It was arguably one of the starriest premieres of 2026 to date with Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, Travis Scott and Samantha Morton also putting in an appearance.
Expectations are running high ahead of the July 17 release for Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic poem starring Damon as iconic warrior Odysseus as he battles to make his way home back to Ithaca after the Trojan war to wife Penelope (Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Holland).
Those interviewed by Deadline universally praised Nolan’s vision on the project, and then Damon’s determination in carrying that vision through the arduous three-month shoot across six countries on IMAX cameras from start to finish.
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Asked by Deadline on how the shoot scored on a scale of one to 10 in terms of its physicality against other action pictures such as the Bourne trilogy, Damon answered: “This is an 11.”
“It was much harder than anything I’ve done, but harder for everybody, harder for every single department. To shoot all of this on camera. If you see a thousand people on camera, there are really a thousand people. To shoot it on IMAX which has never been done before and all of the technical challenges that accompany that effort. It required hundreds and hundreds of people, working really hard and rowing in nthe same direction,” he continued.
Holland told reporters he was still pinching himself about the fact that he had been cast by Nolan for the film.
He revealed that the world premiere was such an important day in his career that he had even skipped the England-Mexico world cup match in the early hours of Monday morning, watching it on replay instead.
Holland admitted he had never read The Odyssey until being tapped on the shoulder by Nolan for the role of Telemachus but said he had been astonished to discover the contemporary relevance of the near 3,000-year-old story.
“I do think it’s very relevant. The idea of Zeus’s Law is something we can all do a better job of. Treating others as you’d be treated. This is very strong theme throughout this film and it’s something we exercised on set and we made a better film for it.”
Zendaya, who plays the goddess and voice of wisdom Athena, said the experience of The Odyssey had given her a greater appreciation of Greek mythology that she would take into future roles.
“So many stories that came after you can trace back to this age old story. I don’t what that means about us as human beings that we continue to make the same mistakes but I think it’s continually relevant,” she said.
Travis Scott, who plays the character of the bard in the court of Ithaca as Penelope is held near hostage by suitors, also hit the red carpet. It marks the first major big screen role for the rapper and songwriter, who first collaborated with Nolan on Tenet, for which he wrote the track ‘The Plan’.
John Leguizamo, who was aged beyond recognition for his role of Odysseus’s loyal swineherd Eumaeus, said he had dug into his own innately loyal character for his performance, but joked that his onscreen appearance may not aid his career.
While male characters dominate the action amid violent scenes showing the nihilism of war, Hathaway, Morton and Nyong’o all praised Nolan’s screenplay for the nuance it had given to their female characters.
Both Hathaway and Nyong’o said the film had given depth and humanity to their iconic characters of Penelope and Helen of Troy and gone behind the myth.
“I was really interested in knowing who she was beyond her face,” said Nyong’o.
Morton, who plays the complex figure of Circe, an independently-minded enchantress who turns Odysseus’s men into swine in protest at the bestiality of men, also praised Nolan’s interpretation giving nuance to her long-vilified character.
Patel, who played Odysseus’s right-hand man Eurylochus acknowledged the violence in the film but added that at no point was it gratuitous, suggesting the message at the heart of the work is the cost of war.
Nolan did not do the press line but took to the stage of Leicester Square’s Odeon Luxe to introduce the film, alongside the cast.
“You’re the first audience in the world to see this film. This is the world premiere so be kind, on beautiful, 70mm film. It’s very special. I grew up watching movies here, coming to Leicester Square, not from the balcony up there you posh people up there but in the stalls… and really dreaming of making a film one day that would fill this screen so to be here in such glamorous circumstances with all of you celebrating the work of so many people who came together to make The Odyssey is truly incredible.”
He also alluded to the England-Mexico World Cup game overnight.
“For all you fellow England fans who didn’t sleep much last night try not to snore in the quiet parts. It’s The Odyssey, there are no quiet parts, or very few… We’re thrilled and excited to see what you make of what we’ve done… these guys, and so many more people, thousands of people contributed to the making of this film and I challenged everybody I was working with to bring their best.”
First officially announced at the end of 2024, The Odyssey follows hot on the heels of Nolan’s Oscar-winning opus Oppenheimer.
Per Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro, the picture is eyeing an opening range between $80M-$100M when the Universal release hits North American theaters on July 17. Nolan’s 2023 Oscar-winning opus Oppenheimer was predicted a $40M-$50M opening and then achieved an $82.4M start.
Nolan andThe Odyssey kicked off the mammoth release campaign in London over the weekend with a first photo call against the backdrop of the city’s iconic skyline. Checkout the images here.
