Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan has undertaken a cinematic venture of truly Homeric proportions, revealing that his forthcoming adaptation of the ancient Greek epic The Odyssey utilised a staggering over 2 million feet of physical film.
A Monumental Production Scale
In a revealing interview with Empire magazine, Nolan detailed the immense scale of the project, which recently concluded principal photography in August and is now in post-production. The director emphasised his commitment to authenticity, explaining that the cast, including Matt Damon in the lead role of Odysseus, spent four months filming on the open sea.
"We got the cast who play the crew of Odysseus’s ship out there on the real waves, in the real places," Nolan stated. "We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world." It was following this gruelling shoot that he confirmed the monumental film usage.
Filling a Gap in Cinematic Culture
Nolan also outlined his long-standing ambition to bring such a mythological tale to the screen with the weight of a major Hollywood production. He had previously been in contention to direct another Homeric adaptation, Troy, over twenty years ago.
"As a film-maker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before," he told Empire. "What I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with… I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do."
He believes that embracing the physical challenges of real-world filming directly benefits the storytelling. "You’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you," Nolan added, suggesting this struggle informed the film's narrative.
Cast and Crew Acclaim
Speaking to the same publication, Matt Damon was unreserved in his praise for the director and the production. "I can say, without hyperbole, that it was the best experience of my career," Damon declared. His enthusiasm extended to the practical sets, recalling the moment he saw the iconic Trojan horse. "I saw the [Trojan] horse on the beach and I was just like, ‘Fuck’. It was just so cool."
The film, which boasts a star-studded cast including Tom Holland as Odysseus's son, Telemachus, has been shot entirely using large-format IMAX cameras. This technical choice promises a visually immersive experience for audiences when the epic adventure sails into cinemas in July 2026.
