Matt Damon has undergone a major physical transformation for Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey.
During filming in March on Favignana Island in Italy, he was seen shooting an important scene. New set images reveal Damon’s transformation, featuring a long white beard, along with Christopher Nolan spraying something on him during the shoot. See the images below.
Speaking to Empire, Nolan revealed that he asked Matt Damon to grow extensive facial hair because he doesn’t like using wigs or fake beards.
Nolan explained, “I’m not a big fan of wigs and fake beards. You want the physicality of real hair so you can put a firehose on the guy and do all the things we need him to do.”
Damon added, “I’d never tried to grow a beard that size. I mean, there are about 100 things trying to take a beard off my face before it can get that long, starting with my kids. But yeah, he wants it all real.”
According to insider Daniel Richtman, the trailer for Nolan’s The Odyssey, which is attached to Avatar: Fire and Ash, reportedly has a runtime of 1 minute and 52 seconds. There are also rumors that a 5-minute prologue for The Odyssey will be shown on December 12 during the IMAX 70mm reissue screenings of Sinners and One Battle After Another.
The film stars Damon as Odysseus, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Zendaya as Athena, Lupita Nyong’o as Calypso, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Charlize Theron as Circe, along with Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, and Nick E. Tarabay in undisclosed roles.
The Odyssey will be a mythical action epic based on the ancient Greek poem by Homer. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War.
Set in the 8th century BC, after the ten-year Trojan War, the Greek hero Odysseus travels from Troy to Ithaca via Africa and southern Europe. His journey lasts an additional ten years, during which he faces many dangers, and all of his crewmates are killed. In his absence, Odysseus is presumed dead, leaving his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, to deal with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope’s hand in marriage.
Produced by Nolan alongside his producing partner and wife, Emma Thomas, under their Syncopy banner. The project will have a $250 million budget, making it one of Nolan’s most expensive films ever.
The Odyssey will be released in theaters and IMAX in the United States on July 17, 2026, by Universal Pictures.
