Homer’s “The Odyssey” is described as an epic poem, and now Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film adaptation is set to live up to that descriptor: “The Odyssey” will be the first movie ever shot entirely with Imax film cameras, Imax CEO Rich Gelfond revealed at Cannes on Thursday.
“Chris called me up and said If you can figure out how to solve the problems, I will make [“Odyssey”] 100 percent in Imax. And that’s what we’re doing,” Gelfond told press at an Imax lunch. “He forced us to rethink that side of our business, our film recorders, our film cameras.”
The distinction here is Imax film cameras. “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” were shot entirely with Imax digital cameras, but Nolan has always been a proponent of traditional film and uses 70mm film Imax cameras, which are not only very large and cumbersome but also extremely loud. These cameras were also used by Ryan Coogler on “Sinners.”
The noise has long been the barrier to shooting a film entirely with Imax film cameras — oftentimes, dialogue has to be re-recorded in post-production to avoid hearing the noise of the actual film running through the camera.
Now, Imax has met Nolan’s challenge and the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” filmmaker is shooting “The Odyssey” entirely with Imax film cameras.
Nolan is, of course, no stranger to Imax and has championed the format ever since he used it to film the opening sequence for “The Dark Knight.” Each successive film of his has used more and more Imax photography, including Oscar-winner “Oppenheimer.”
The action epic “The Odyssey” stars Matt Damon as Odysseus and is currently in production around the world.
Written in 8th century B.C., the story follows the 10-year journey of Odysseus as he tries to make his way home after the Trojan War, encountering trials, tribulations and literal monsters on his journey.
The stacked ensemble cast for Nolan’s adaptation also includes Holland, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”), Elliot Page (“The Umbrella Academy”), Bill Irwin (“Legion”), and Samantha Morton (“Minority Report”).
Nolan wrote the script for “The Odyssey,” which will be released exclusively in theaters on July 17, 2026.
