Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ To Feature Life-Size Animatronic Creatures, Including Cyclops

An intriguing update when it comes to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”

Just a quick recap of previous intel: Back when “The Odyssey” was shooting in Greece this past summer, an on-set source mentioned that the Polyphemus/Cyclops scenes in the film would stick with authenticity. A shoot at the legendary Nestor Cave and Voidokilia Beach included a 6x6m mechanical anthropomorphic puppet built inside the cave.

Of course, I’d be surprised if Nolan and his team didn’t do touch-ups on the Cyclops in post with some CGI enhancements. That said, I’m loving the idea of Nolan using practical effects for the mythological creatures in this next film.

It now looks as though Adam Wright (“Frankenweenie,” “Corpse Bride,” “The Legend of Ochi,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”), a specialist in animatronics and practical effects, was deeply involved in “The Odyssey,” which strongly indicates that the film will feature substantial practical creature work. Wright’s expertise lies in building physical, lifelike rigs and puppets, this could mean that key mythological beings—such as the Cyclops, Scylla, or even the Sirens—may appear as tangible, on-set creations rather than being fully digital.

Nolan is known for preferring in-camera effects, where the presence of the real and physical adds a sense of authenticity. The most recent example of this is Nolan skipping CGI and instead opting to recreate the atomic explosion in “Oppenheimer” using a practical-effects-heavy approach. His team built miniature landscapes and detonated controlled explosions to simulate the blast and mushroom cloud.

By employing animatronics, Nolan is obviously looking to achieve a material quality that allows actors to interact directly with these creatures, enhancing the realism and intensity of the performances. I look forward to seeing how the finished product looks like.

The ‘Odyssey’ cast includes Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, and John Leguizamo.

Universal is slated to release the film in theaters, including IMAX screens, on July 17, 2026.