.jfif)
Christopher Nolan has rarely struggled to attract famous names, but the cast of The Odyssey is unusually crowded even by his standards.
The film, adapted from Homer's ancient Greek epic, follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he attempts to return home after the Trojan war. What should be a journey back to his wife and son becomes a long passage through war, monsters, gods and temptation.
Nolan has placed familiar collaborators alongside actors working with him for the first time. Here are the principal names in the cast and the characters they play.
Matt Damon as Odysseus
Matt Damon leads the film as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca and the weary soldier at the centre of the story.
It is Damon's third film with Nolan after Interstellar and Oppenheimer. Here, he carries a story built around a man trying to reach home after years of war, while facing a series of obstacles that gradually turn his voyage into legend.
Anne Hathaway as Penelope
Anne Hathaway plays Penelope, Odysseus's wife and the queen of Ithaca.
With her husband absent, Penelope is left to manage a household increasingly surrounded by men hoping to replace him. The role reunites Hathaway with Nolan after The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.
Tom Holland as Telemachus
Tom Holland appears as Telemachus, the son of Odysseus and Penelope.
Telemachus has grown up largely in the shadow of an absent father. His search for answers about Odysseus forms an important part of Homer's poem and gives the story a younger perspective.
The film marks Holland's first collaboration with Nolan.
Zendaya as Athena
Zendaya plays Athena, the Greek goddess associated with wisdom and warfare.
Athena is closely connected to Odysseus's journey and repeatedly intervenes in the affairs of his family. The Odyssey is Zendaya's first film directed by Nolan.
Robert Pattinson as Antinous
Robert Pattinson takes the role of Antinous, one of the most prominent suitors gathered at Odysseus's home.
Antinous is a disruptive presence in Ithaca and one of the chief threats facing Penelope and Telemachus during Odysseus's absence.
Pattinson previously worked with Nolan on Tenet.
Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra
Lupita Nyong'o plays Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra.
The two women are sisters in Greek mythology and are closely tied to the events surrounding the Trojan war. Helen's departure for Troy helped set the war in motion, while Clytemnestra's story is linked to the troubled return of the Greek commander Agamemnon.
Charlize Theron as Calypso
Charlize Theron appears as Calypso, the nymph who keeps Odysseus on her island during his long voyage.
Calypso offers him a life away from Ithaca, creating one of the central conflicts in his struggle to return to Penelope.
.jfif)
Mia Goth as Melantho
Mia Goth plays Melantho, a servant in the household of Odysseus.
Her position places her within the increasingly divided world of Ithaca, where loyalties are tested while the king remains missing.
Jon Bernthal as Menelaus
Jon Bernthal takes on the role of Menelaus, king of Sparta and husband of Helen.
Menelaus was one of the Greek leaders in the Trojan war and later encounters Telemachus as the young man searches for information about his father.
Benny Safdie as Agamemnon
Benny Safdie plays Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces at Troy.
His fate after the war serves as a grim parallel to Odysseus's own journey home. Safdie previously appeared in Nolan's Oppenheimer.
Samantha Morton as Circe
Samantha Morton plays Circe, the sorceress encountered by Odysseus and his crew.
Circe is one of the best-known figures in the poem and becomes part of a crucial stage in Odysseus's voyage.
John Leguizamo as Eumaeus
John Leguizamo appears as Eumaeus, the swineherd who remains loyal to Odysseus during his long absence.
Though removed from the kings and warriors who dominate much of the story, Eumaeus plays an important part in the events surrounding Odysseus's eventual return.
The rest of the cast
The ensemble also includes Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Jovan Adepo and Travis Scott, alongside several other actors appearing across Nolan's version of the Greek epic.
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey was filmed using IMAX film technology and is scheduled for theatrical release on 17 July 2026.
The film is another large-scale production following Oppenheimer. This time, however, the subject is a story that had already survived for thousands of years before cinema existed. The cast now faces the task of putting familiar faces to some of mythology's oldest characters.