Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated upcoming film, an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, boasts a star-studded cast but maintains the feel of an independent production, according to cast member John Leguizamo. In a recent interview, Leguizamo praised Nolan’s unique approach to filmmaking, stating that although the film has a substantial budget, it is treated like a small-scale indie project.
“The thing is, he’s got a crazy budget, it’s not small, but he runs it like an indie film because he’s not doing it by committee, he’s not doing it by what the studio says,” Leguizamo explained. “He’s like an indie filmmaker but with crazy money.”
The film, which is based on Homer’s epic tale, stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and features a lineup of major Hollywood talents, including Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, and Jon Bernthal. Described as “a mythic action epic,” the movie will be shot across the globe using groundbreaking Imax film technology. Universal has emphasized that The Odyssey will be the first of its kind to bring Homer’s timeless saga to Imax screens.
Known for his blockbuster hits like Oppenheimer, Interstellar, and Inception, Nolan is accustomed to working on a grand scale. In a 2024 interview with Time, he expressed his appreciation for the resources available to him, saying, “I’m drawn to working at a large scale because I know how fragile the opportunity to marshal those resources is. There are so many filmmakers who would give their eye teeth to have the resources I put together, and I feel I have the responsibility to use them in the most productive and interesting way.”
However, Nolan has not neglected smaller-scale films, recently citing Aftersun and Past Lives as examples of indie productions he admires.
Cillian Murphy, who starred in Nolan’s Oppenheimer, has praised the director for his collaborative approach with actors. “He is brilliant with actors, understands actors, loves actors, really believes in actors and what they can bring to the story,” Murphy said. “We’ll be shooting, but we’ll be finding the scene, and he’ll let us experiment and explore stuff.”
Nolan, who wrote the screenplay and is producing the film alongside Emma Thomas, is set to release The Odyssey in theaters on July 17, 2026.
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