A five or six-minute prologue of Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, "The Odyssey," has leaked online, igniting both excitement and controversy among film enthusiasts. The leaked footage, intended to be screened ahead of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," quickly spread across social media platforms, drawing divided reactions and prompting swift copyright takedowns by Universal Pictures.
The prologue offers a glimpse into Nolan's adaptation of Homer's epic poem, showcasing the infiltration of Troy via the Trojan Horse. The sequence opens with Jon Bernthal as Menelaus recounting the story of the Trojan Horse to Tom Holland's Telemachus, setting the stage for the events to unfold. The scene transitions to Matt Damon's Odysseus and his men concealed within the wooden horse as it's dragged into the city. As night falls, Odysseus leads a stealthy attack, culminating in a large-scale battle as the Greeks attempt to open the city gates. The prologue also offers a brief look at the Cyclops, Polyphemus, hinting at the fantastical elements Nolan is incorporating into the film. The clip features Ludwig Göransson's score.
The leak has triggered a wave of reactions, ranging from enthusiastic praise to harsh criticism. Some viewers have lauded the footage as "f-cking outstanding," praising Nolan's vision and the film's epic scale. Others have been less impressed, with some describing the footage as "nothing special" or drawing comparisons to the 2004 film "Troy". The mixed reactions highlight the high expectations and intense scrutiny surrounding Nolan's project.
Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" is slated for release on July 17, 2026. Described as a "mythic action epic," the film promises to be Nolan's most ambitious project to date, with a reported three-hour runtime and an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, and Robert Pattinson. The film aims to bring Homer's saga to IMAX film screens for the first time, utilizing new IMAX film technology.
Nolan has described his approach to the film's mythological elements as grounded in reality, suggesting that the gods and supernatural events are manifestations of what people once attributed to unexplained natural phenomena.
Despite the mixed reactions to the leaked prologue, the incident has undoubtedly generated buzz around "The Odyssey". Whether the leak will ultimately benefit or hinder the film's success remains to be seen, but it has certainly ignited a fierce online debate and fueled anticipation for Nolan's epic adaptation of Homer's classic tale.
