Jon Bernthal joins cast of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’
English director Christopher Nolan‘s latest venture, The Odyssey, has added The Bear star Jon Bernthal to the ensemble cast.
Nolan’s latest film is set to have a variety of big-name stars, with Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and Tom Holland connected to the project. After the blockbuster success of 2023’s Oppenheimer, the film is set to be a retelling of the iconic epic poem written by the Greek poet Homer.
Universal Studios also stated that the film will use different approaches to Imax filming methods, noting, “Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new Imax film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to Imax film screens for the first time and opens in theatres everywhere on July 17, 2026.”
In the original text, the story follows the war hero Odysseus as he struggles to return home from the Trojan War. On his journey, he encounters various stumbling blocks, including a confrontation with a Cyclops and the call of the Sirens, before he returns home to his wife, Penelope.
Nolan’s imagining of the film also comes after various directors have made their own attempts at the historical epic. Mario Camerini directed Kirk Douglas in a 1954 adaptation of the story, and Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche brought the text to life in the 2024 film The Return.
The massive stars tied to Nolan’s project echo the glittering cast list for his previous film, Oppenheimer. Aside from Cillian Murphy in the starring role, Nolan secured a number of the biggest actors in Hollywood for the film, including Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon. While Damon is set to return in The Odyssey, other new faces working with Nolan for the first time include Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.
This also marks the first official movie that Nolan is working on after being knighted alongside his wife and longtime partner, Emma Thomas. While there have been few details regarding which roles each member of the cast is playing, production is supposed to start in February 2025.
The announcement of Bernthal’s casting comes after a productive for the actor. Outside of being known for successful shows such as The Walking Dead, Bernthal picked up an Emmy for his role in FX’s The Bear and is set to join the cast of Daredevil for Daredevil: Born Again as The Punisher, marking the first official release since Matt Murdoc had entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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