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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will be one of his most expensive films

Christopher Nolan puts his hands up next to Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.
Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures

After dominating the Oscars with Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan is making the most of a “blank check” opportunity with his next film, The Odyssey.

Per Matt Belloni of Puck, Nolan’s The Odyssey reportedly has a massive $250 million budget. The news comes after Jeff Sneider wrote in his newsletter that The Odyssey will be the “most expensive film of Nolan’s career.”

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If The Odyssey’s budget stays at $250 million, it matches The Dark Knight Rises as the most expensive film of his career. The third Batman film had an estimated budget of $250 million to $300 million, but tax credits reduced the figure to $230 million. For comparison, Oppenheimer carried a $100 million budget.

After months of secrecy, Universal Pictures officially announced Nolan’s The Odyssey, a feature film adaptation of the ancient Greek poem by Homer. The epic tale follows the Greek hero Odysseus on his treacherous journey home after the Trojan War. If Nolan’s adaptation remains faithful to the source text, the movie will feature legendary creatures like centaurs, sirens, and cyclops. Universal also teased that the action epic will be “shot across the world using brand-new IMAX film technology.”

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Nolan will write and direct The Odyssey, his 13th feature film. Nolan and his wife, Emma Thomas, will produce through their Syncopy banner. Similar to previous Nolan movies, The Odyssey boasts a star-studded cast of A-list talent, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. Filming is expected to begin in the first half of 2025.

The Odyssey opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.

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