Christopher Nolan Sends Tom Holland Into a $250 Million Odyssey — The First Film Ever Shot Fully on IMAX 70mm, and the Most Ambitious Mythic Epic of His Career
Christopher Nolan has never been a filmmaker who thinks small. Even when he tells grounded stories, they tend to swell into something larger than life, reshaping the cinematic landscape with scale, precision, and the kind of obsessive craftsmanship rarely attempted in modern Hollywood. But with The Odyssey, his upcoming adaptation of Homer’s ancient poem and his first full dive into Greek mythology, Nolan appears to be stepping into territory that even he hasn’t charted before. The movie has already become one of the most talked-about productions in recent memory, thanks to a combination of its staggering reported $250 million budget, a lead performance by Tom Holland unlike anything audiences have seen from him, and Nolan’s bold decision to shoot the entire feature exclusively on IMAX 70mm — a first for any director.
While details surrounding the plot remain heavily guarded, the first look images that surfaced — showing Holland in bronze armor, a hardened gaze replacing the boyish charm fans associate with him — immediately set the tone. The actor, known globally for his role as Spider-Man, appears to be shedding his youthful superhero skin entirely. His interpretation of Odysseus seems grounded not in mythic perfection, but in the vulnerability, exhaustion, and quiet resilience of a man trapped between gods, war, and his own humanity. Opposite him, Matt Damon returns to Nolan’s universe in what insiders describe as a mentor-turned-rival role, further adding weight to a cast stacked with intensity. Behind them both stands Nolan himself, captured in onset behind-the-scenes images gripping his towering IMAX camera with the same stubborn devotion that has defined his filmmaking for decades.
Nolan has been working toward a project of this magnitude for years — perhaps even his entire career. With each film, he has pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved in-camera, insisting on practical effects, real landscapes, and large-format film over the digital workflows dominating much of the industry. Yet even the scale of Interstellar and Dunkirk now seems modest compared to The Odyssey, a project so visually demanding that the director reportedly used more than two million feet of IMAX stock, capturing nearly one hundred hours of raw footage. For context, this is double the amount of film he used for Oppenheimer, which itself broke records and challenged distributors worldwide to accommodate its massive 70mm prints.
Shot across rugged coastlines, isolated islands, and sweeping battlefields constructed to mirror the raw brutality of the ancient world, The Odyssey embraces myth not through fantasy, but through tactility. Those close to the production describe a filmmaking environment that often felt like stepping directly into Homer’s pages, with Nolan recreating everything from wooden Greek ships to large-scale infantry formations with practical builds and real stunt performers. This approach, familiar to longtime Nolan fans, echoes his belief that an audience can always feel when something is real — the weight of armor, the sway of an ocean-bound vessel, the texture of dust kicked up by marching soldiers.
That dedication also helps explain the astronomical budget. At $250 million, The Odyssey surpasses Oppenheimer by more than double, making it not just the most expensive film of Nolan’s career, but among the most expensive historical epics ever attempted. Yet for studio partners, the investment appears to be less a gamble than a continuation of Nolan’s proven ability to turn unconventional, intellectually driven material into global box office events. Few directors could take a three-hour R-rated biographical drama about theoretical physics and transform it into a billion-dollar cultural juggernaut. But Nolan did exactly that with Oppenheimer, proving that audiences still crave bold, serious filmmaking when it’s paired with spectacle and emotional gravity.
In many ways, the success of Oppenheimer paved the path for The Odyssey. It not only reaffirmed Nolan’s status as a filmmaker who can command global attention, but also demonstrated the enduring appetite for films that challenge the senses as much as they challenge the mind. If Oppenheimer turned physics into a cinematic event, The Odyssey appears poised to do the same for myth — presenting ancient Greek storytelling through a lens that feels immediate, contemporary, and unnervingly human.
For Tom Holland, the film marks a transformative moment in his career. Though he’s already a household name, he has openly expressed a desire to take on darker, more mature roles, stepping away from the perpetual glow of his Marvel persona. Early reports from the set describe Holland’s performance as the most physically and emotionally demanding of his life. Hours of weapons training, endurance conditioning, and character work went into shaping a portrayal that captures Odysseus not as a legend, but as a man slowly unraveling under the weight of loss, longing, and endless trials. That duality — heroism and fragility — is central to Homer’s original story, and seemingly central to Nolan’s vision as well.
Matt Damon’s involvement adds another compelling dynamic to the project. After memorable roles in Interstellar and Oppenheimer, Damon has developed a unique collaborative rhythm with Nolan. Their on-screen partnership this time, however, is said to be uniquely volatile. Damon reportedly plays a character whose loyalty, strength, and moral boundaries directly complicate Odysseus’ odyssey, adding layers of personal conflict to a story already packed with supernatural obstacles and mortal danger. While Nolan remains famously tight-lipped about his cast, insiders suggest Damon’s role will be one of the film’s emotional linchpins — a grounded human counterpoint to the presence of mythic forces.
Those forces, according to production sources, do appear in the film, but not in the exaggerated, CGI-heavy form modern audiences might expect. Nolan has long held a deep skepticism toward digital effects, preferring models, miniatures, practical sets, and in-camera illusions. For The Odyssey, he reportedly worked with a blend of specialized makeup, practical creature performers, and optical tricks to reimagine iconic figures from Greek mythology. Early descriptions emphasize an eerie realism — beings that feel born of nature rather than fantasy, the way ancient storytellers might have imagined them.
Shooting the film entirely on IMAX 70mm only heightens that sense of scale. The large-format medium captures detail with unparalleled clarity, from the cracked leather of armor to the smallest shimmer of light across ocean waves. Unlike most modern IMAX productions, which use digital IMAX cameras for flexibility, Nolan’s exclusive use of film adds a distinct texture. Colors appear richer, motion appears more fluid, and landscapes take on a sweeping, painterly quality. For Nolan, who believes deeply in the physicality of film, this project is something like a culmination — a tribute to the medium’s power in an era where celluloid is increasingly rare.
The decision to rely so heavily on IMAX film also shaped the high cost of production. IMAX 70mm cameras are massive, difficult to operate, and notoriously expensive to run. Each reel lasts only a few minutes, forcing constant reloading. The stock itself is costly, and with over two million feet used, the scale becomes almost unimaginable. But for Nolan, the rewards are worth it. He has consistently argued that certain stories demand certain formats, and in his eyes, The Odyssey is a saga meant to be experienced with overwhelming visual force.
What makes this project especially intriguing is the emotional core beneath its monumental scale. Homer’s Odyssey is a story not just about gods and monsters, but about longing — a man desperate to return home, to reclaim his life, his identity, and his family after years of war. Nolan has hinted in past interviews that he’s drawn to stories about memory, time, and the human cost of ambition. Those themes echo throughout his filmography, and they align almost perfectly with the journey of Odysseus. If Nolan succeeds, The Odyssey might not just be a battle-filled historical epic, but one of his most intimate character studies yet.
With expectations soaring and speculation building, The Odyssey already feels like a cinematic event in the making. Fans of Nolan’s previous work understand that he rarely reveals his full hand before release, and if the secrecy surrounding this film is any indication, audiences may be in for something unexpected — a blend of ancient storytelling, cutting-edge craft, and emotional weight that pushes the capabilities of modern cinema once again. For now, the world waits for the first trailer, the first dialogue, the first glimpse of Holland navigating a world where mortals clash with gods. If early signs are any indication, Nolan’s most expensive film may also become one of his most defining.