January30, 2025: Following their successful collaboration on Oppenheimer, director Christopher Nolan has once again teamed up with actor Benny Safdie for his upcoming film The Odyssey.
Safdie, who is known for his work with his brother Josh as part of the Safdie Brothers, will be joining an all-star cast for Nolan’s adaptation of the ancient Greek epic. This marks another significant collaboration between Nolan and Safdie after their success in Oppenheimer.
Although Universal, the studio backing the project, has yet to confirm the casting officially, sources close to the production confirmed Benny Safdie’s involvement. The Odyssey is based on Homer’s 8th-century BCE poem of the same name, which tells the tale of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War. The film will be a “mythic action epic,” and it’s poised to bring this legendary story to the big screen in a groundbreaking new format.
The cast for the film is already impressive, with Safdie joining Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. Universal has described the movie as using cutting-edge IMAX technology to deliver a visually immersive experience, highlighting how Nolan’s vision for The Odyssey will showcase the mythological journey with an unprecedented scale and visual richness.
Scheduled for release on July 17, 2026, The Odyssey will mark Nolan’s second film with Universal following the immense success of Oppenheimer in 2023. The film will depict Odysseus’ epic struggles with divine forces and mythical creatures, including the Cyclops Polyphemus and the enchanting Sirens, as he strives to return to his wife, Penelope, after the Trojan War.
In addition to The Odyssey, Benny Safdie is gearing up for other major roles, including starring in Happy Gilmore 2 alongside Adam Sandler, and directing his debut feature The Smashing Machine, a biopic about MMA fighter Mark Kerr, which stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.
With such an incredible lineup both in front of and behind the camera, The Odyssey promises to be one of the most anticipated releases of 2026.