Christopher Nolan and Matt Damon’s The Odyssey Makes History as First Movie to Film Entirely with IMAX Cameras

‘The Odyssey,’ which stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Zendaya, is in theaters July 17, 2026

Christopher Nolan continues to break new ground with his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey.

An IMAX spokesperson confirmed with us on Thursday, May 15, that Nolan’s next movie, which stars Matt Damon as the ancient Greek mythological hero Odysseus, will be filmed entirely with IMAX cameras — the first feature-length movie ever to do so.

IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond made the announcement during the company’s annual press lunch at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 15, according to The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap. As those outlets reported, Nolan challenged IMAX to improve the quality of its cameras — including making them lighter and quieter — after the wild success of his 2023 Best Picture winning film Oppenheimer.

“Chris called me up and said If you can figure out how to solve the problems, will make [Odyssey] 100 percent in IMAX. And that’s what we’re doing,” Gelfond said in Cannes, per THR. “He forced us to rethink that side of our business, our film recorders, our film cameras.”

The Odyssey, which is currently in production, is the first movie to shoot with these brand new IMAX film cameras.

Nolan and Universal Pictures first announced that the acclaimed director, 54, would adapt Homer’s The Odyssey into a film using new IMAX technology back in December. The famous story follows the King of Ithaca, Odysseus, on a 10 years-long journey home after the mythological Trojan War.

Damon, 54, is joined by an A-list cast in The Odyssey that includes  Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, John Leguizamo and Benny Safdie. Universal revealed the first photo of Damon in character — dressed in armor and a cape with a coordinating headpiece — back on Feb. 17.

Damon, Holland and Zendaya were each spotted filming scenes for the movie on set in Italy in March, with Damon showing off some impressive action star abs and a long, gray beard in character as Odysseus.

The Odyssey has been adapted for the screen before, most recently in Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche’s 2024 movie The Return. Other adaptions include the 1997 miniseries with Armand Assante and Greta Scacchi, and the 1954 Italian movie Ulysses with Kirk Douglas, Silvana Mangano and Anthony Quinn.

The Odyssey is in theaters July 17, 2026.