Following its Paris premiere on Wednesday, July 8, Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” will be released in cinemas on July 15.
The $250 million epic will open simultaneously in theaters across Morocco, Moroccan distributor Mohammed Khouna of Film Event Consulting confirmed to Le360.
Running for 2 hours and 52 minutes, the film was shot in Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland, and Morocco. It was produced by Universal Studios and Emma Thomas, Nolan’s longtime producing partner and wife, while Moroccan production company Zak Productions handled the local executive production. Filming also used more than 600,000 meters of film stock.
Matt Damon stars as Odysseus and has spoken to international media about the physically demanding conditions encountered during production.
For his latest feature, the Oppenheimer director chose Dakhla’s White Dune to portray the mythical island of Ogygia, where the enchantress Calypso, played by Charlize Theron, holds Odysseus captive for seven years.
Speaking at a presentation for cinema exhibitors, Nolan described the Moroccan leg of the production as “a wonderful experience.”
For Morocco, the production offers another major international showcase. In recent years, the kingdom has sought to attract foreign film productions through incentives, including the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre’s (CCM) cash rebate program, which covers up to 30% of eligible production expenses incurred in the country.
Adapted from the epic poem attributed to Homer and composed in the eighth century BC, The Odyssey follows Odysseus’ long journey home after the Trojan War. Over the course of 10 years, he and his companions face a series of trials and mythical creatures, including the Cyclops Polyphemus, Aeolus, the Sirens, and the sea monsters Charybdis and Scylla.
Considered one of the foundational works of Greek civilization, The Odyssey is regarded as one of the great classics of world literature alongside The Iliad. It has inspired numerous film adaptations, from faithful retellings such as Uberto Pasolini’s The Return (2024) to more contemporary reinterpretations like the Coen brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Odyssey marks Nolan’s 13th feature film, for which he wrote the screenplay and directed. The British filmmaker is best known for Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer, the latter earning him the Academy Award for Best Director.
As with many of his previous films, Nolan reunited with longtime collaborators, including cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar, Tenet, Oppenheimer) and composer Ludwig Göransson, who won an Academy Award for his score for Oppenheimer.
The cast brings together several of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Damon reunites with Nolan after Interstellar and Oppenheimer to play Odysseus, while Tom Holland portrays his son Telemachus, Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, and Charlize Theron stars as Calypso. Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Jon Bernthal also feature in the ensemble cast.
