The Odyssey trailer LEAKED: Christopher Nolan's film reveals first look at Tom Holland and Matt Damon

The plan for Warner Bros. to only release Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in theatres was thwarted on Tuesday night when people at early screenings of Jurassic World Rebirth recorded the surprise teaser on their phones. Although most were removed due to copyright takedowns, the images and dialogue swiftly spread as they emerged in blurry versions on TikTok, X, and YouTube within hours.

Opening sequence sets dark, mythical tone

The trailer begins with the sound of breaking waves and a desolate horizon. A gravelly narrator establishes the stakes. "Darkness. Zeus’ law was smashed to pieces. A kingdom without a king since my master died. He knew it was an unwinnable war. And then, somehow, somehow he won it."

Telemachus, played by Tom Holland, stands alone on a precipice, intent on finding his father Odysseus, who has gone missing. "I have to find out what happened to my father," he argues, confronting Jon Bernthal's as-yet-unnamed character. Bernthal responds, "Interested in rumour, huh? Gossip. Who has a story about Odysseus? You? You have a story?"

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Rapid montage and mythical allusions

After then, there's a quick cut to the following scenes: Hoplites led by torches make their way through winding alleyways; the Trojan Horse appears partially submerged before becoming a silhouette; and, with lightning flashing, Matt Damon's Odysseus clings on driftwood. The trailer features a motif that states, "Some say he’s rich. Some say he’s poor. Some say he perished. Some say he’s imprisoned." He asks, "What kind of prison could hold a man like that?" This question concludes the trailer.

Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, Benny Safdie, and many more have been enlisted by Nolan to join Damon, Bernthal, and Holland. Nolan is shooting the film entirely with IMAX digital cameras, using what is believed to be his biggest budget to date—$250 million.

Filming locations rooted in Homeric geography

The plot is set in Mediterranean regions associated with Homer's epic, and principal photography is already underway in Greece, Morocco, and Italy to capture these locations. According to insiders close to the production, the whole story will include Odysseus' homecoming after a decade-long journey, meetings with legendary creatures like the Cyclops, and Nolan's signature examinations of memory and time, even if the leaked footage primarily shows the aftermath of the Trojan War.

The official trailer "will be exclusively in cinemas" and Warner Bros asked media websites not to post or link to illegal uploads, but they chose not to comment on the leak. Platforms that reposted the teaser are receiving copyright notifications from the company.

Christopher Nolan's most ambitious visual effects work since Interstellar

According to insiders, The Odyssey is Nolan's most complex visual effects project since Interstellar, and he will have two years to finish post-production before the film's global premiere on July 17, 2026.