A full-length trailer for Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is expected to debut ahead of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which releases on December 19 — a fitting choice, since “Oppenheimer” had its trailer attached to “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
That said, rumors had started circulating that we might get to see the footage a week earlier, on December 12, during IMAX 70mm showings of Warner Bros.’ “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.”
I was waiting to write this until I got confirmation from an exhibitor contact of mine — he’s responded. Rumors confirmed: a 5-minute, 47-second prologue of “The Odyssey” will be attached to screenings of both films. The following week, a truncated version will be shown right before “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
In case you’re wondering what will be included in this prologue, we recently got a sneak peek from Empire Magazine’s cover story on the film. In the piece, the writer admitted to having been shown five minutes of “The Odyssey” — which is probably the same footage audiences will see in December. Here’s his description of what he saw inside Nolan’s screening room:
It begins with a question: "You hear the story of the horse?" Cue a thundering action set-piece, flashing us back to the walls of Troy. The visuals are visceral, the audio an adrenaline-rush.
Odysseus' hulking ruse is dragged via ropes and straining sinews up a beach towards the city. Then, at night-time, his desperate battle to open the gates of Troy and finally end that damn war. It's extraordinary stuff, a mini rollercoaster ride, briskly knocking out one of history's most iconic military triumphs as an hors d'oeuvre before the entrée. And a mission statement: if you thought Christopher Nolan's films were colossal before, just you wait.
Finally, setting it well and truly apart from Troy, the footage ends with a quick single shot of a fearsome Cyclops.Odysseus’ hulking ruse is dragged via ropes and straining sinews up a beach toward the city. Then, at night-time, his desperate battle to open the gates of Troy and finally end that damn war. It’s extraordinary stuff, a mini roller-coaster ride, briskly knocking out one of history’s most iconic military triumphs as an hors d’oeuvre before the entrée. And a mission statement: if you thought Christopher Nolan’s films were colossal before, just you wait.
Finally, setting it well and truly apart from Troy, the footage ends with a quick single shot of a fearsome Cyclops.
“The Odyssey” reportedly has a budget of around $250M and will utilize brand-new, state-of-the-art IMAX cameras, with cinematography by Nolan’s go-to DP, Hoyte van Hoytema. Tickets for the 70mm IMAX showings actually went on sale this summer and sold out most of their showings (25,000+ tickets across 22 locations).
Curiously, a one-minute teaser was shown in theaters this summer, attached to “Jurassic World Rebirth,” but it was never released online.
Nolan wrapped filming “The Odyssey” in August. Principal photography took around seven months to complete. Post-production is expected to continue through June. The cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, and Samantha Morton.
“The Odyssey” is set to hit theaters on July 17, 2026.
The theatrical version runs 108 minutes, so we're talking a nearly 2-hour-10-minute cut of a movie that works because it's lean, and I'm not sure anyone needs that.