While 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for movies, there are few films coming to theaters this year that are bigger and more anticipated than Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The first film since his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, The Odyssey boasts a star-studded cast to bring Homer’s classic tale to life in a spectacle unlike anything we’ve ever seen before and with CinemaCon underway in Las Vegas, those in attendance are getting a look at new footage from the upcoming epic.
During Universal’s presentation at the event, attendees were treated to new footage, particularly of the Trojan Horse sequence and while it’s not being released to the public at this time, we have a full description thanks to press at the event, giving us what sounds like our most epic glimpse of this truly classic story yet. Read on for the full description.
New footage from The Odyssey begins with Odysseus (Matt Damon) on a shipwreck talking to Calypso (Charlize Theron). He laments not knowing how long he’s been there, how old his son Telemachus would be now. In a flashback, Telemachus (Tom Holland) is pulled aside by Menelaus (Jon Bernthal) to tell him the story of the Trojan Horse “from the inside”. Another flashback, this time to the Trojan Horse as it is brought to Troy. Soldiers stab the horse to check to see if anything is hidden inside and a man within is stabbed, by the others cover his mouth to keep him from screaming out and revealing them all. Odysseus then stealthily gets the man out of the horse after nightfall. A Trojan soldier sounds an alarm as the men go through the gates. Menelaus prepares his bow; Odysseus starts picking of various soldiers. The gates open and there is an army on the other side to storm into Troy, including Agamemnon (Benny Safdie.)
Back to Menelaus talking to Telemachus. “I think you know the rest,” he tells him. Then there is a montage of other scenes, including Odysseus’ shipwreck. We also get the cyclops Polyphemus reaching towards Odysseus, but he grabs another soldier instead who meets his end, the last thing we get is his screaming.
Charlize Theron Revealed to be Playing Calypso
One of the interesting new reveals from the CinemaCon footage is that Charlize Theron appears to be playing Calypso. It had previously been reported that Theron would be playing Circe in the upcoming film so this new footage that appears to confirm her as Calypso is a fascinating update — and serves as a reminder that even though The Odyssey is a timeless tale, Nolan may still have a few surprises in store for audiences.
The Odyssey opens in theaters July 17th.
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