Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated The Odyssey movie just locked in its ninth confirmed character, giving fans the clearest look yet at how the iconic director plans to translate Homer’s epic poem into a large-scale cinematic event. The star-studded film, which Nolan described to Empire as “foundational” and “primal,” has steadily unveiled its cast through a series of first-look reveals and interviews. Early showcases highlighted its globe-spanning production, sole use of IMAX 70mm cameras, and a visual style that will breathe fresh life into the warriors, leaders, and gods of ancient Greece.
Set to be released by Universal on July 17, 2026, The Odyssey is shaping up to be Nolan’s most ambitious project to date. The film features a sprawling ensemble of major stars bringing the poem’s most iconic figures to the big screen and was filmed in several global locations, including Greece, Iceland, Italy, Morocco, and Scotland. Recent sneak peeks offered first looks at many of the tale’s central characters, confirming which actors will portray them, while other significant castings remain a mystery, at least for now. With nine named characters now confirmed, fans have gotten a tantalizing look into Nolan’s version of the iconic tale and how those characters will shape its story.
Every Confirmed The Odyssey Character
Odysseus
Odysseus (Matt Damon) is the central hero of Homer’s The Odyssey. The king of Ithaca and famed Trojan War warrior, Odysseus is defined by his cunning and his courage. Known throughout Greek myth for his intelligence, Odysseus is the architect of the Trojan Horse and one of the most complex figures in any known ancient text. The Thor: Love and Thunder actor will portray the Greek hero’s journey home after the war becomes a decade-long trial filled with monsters, gods, temptations, and loss.
According to the epic, Odysseus’ defining trait is metis, or strategic wit, which he uses to outsmart foes along the way. His voyage in the epic story will be the film's emotional crux as he endures seemingly insurmountable obstacles, fighting tooth and nail to reclaim his throne, reunite with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, and restore order to his kingdom.
Telemachus
Telemachus (Tom Holland) is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, introduced as a young man struggling to step into adulthood. With his father missing for 20 years, Telemachus finds Ithaca overrun by suitors attempting to marry his mother and seize the throne.
In Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the Spider-Man actor will likely find his character embarking on a perilous journey to find his father, as Ithaca endures trials of its own in Odysseus’ absence. Along the way, the uncertain young prince learns what it means to be a leader, with his growth mirroring his father’s long voyage. His evolution from an indecisive kid to a confident warrior is one of the poem’s most important character arcs.
Penelope
Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’ wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), pines after her husband while displaying her fierce intelligence, patience, and unwavering loyalty. While suitors flood her halls and pressure her to remarry, Penelope continually outsmarts them, never fully committing to remarry and famously weaving and unraveling a burial shroud to stall for time.
Hathaway, who will soon reprise her iconic roles in sequels for The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, will show audiences that Penelope’s cunning rivals that of her husband. In The Odyssey, Penelope serves as the symbol of home: the driving force behind Odysseus’ years-long struggle to return.
Athena
Athena (Zendaya) is the goddess of wisdom and battle, serving as Odysseus’ divine protector throughout the epic. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day actress will play a pivotal role throughout the film, guiding Telemachus’ development and intervening at key moments while allowing Odysseus to fight his own battles. She also cares for Penelope, coming to her in dreams to provide reassurance and keeping her in the dark about troubling things that would upset her.
Athena often appears in disguise to offer counsel and steer events back toward justice. Her interest in Odysseus stems from their shared traits: both value intelligence, restraint, and clever problem-solving. In The Odyssey, Athena’s influence highlights the theme that mortal heroism often requires divine support.
Circe
Another pivotal character in The Odyssey, Circe (Charlize Theron), is one of the most famous figures in Greek mythology. An immortal enchantress who lives on the island of Aeaea, she punishes Odysseus and his men by transforming several of his crew into pigs after they land on her island.
After Odysseus confronts her with the help of Hermes, the messenger of the gods and the patron of travelers, thieves, merchants, and shepherds, Circe becomes an ally, providing Odysseus with crucial advice for the next stages of his journey. She warns him about the dangers ahead, including the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, as well as the deadly Sirens.
Menelaus
The king of Sparta, Menelaus (Jon Bernthal), is the husband of Helen of Troy and a prominent Greek leader during the Trojan War. The Daredevil: Born Again actor will appear in The Odyssey as a powerful political figure who bonds with Telemachus at a crucial point in his character arc.
When Telemachus visits Menelaus’ palace during his quest to find his father, the king offers him a place to stay and shares stories from the war. This display of hospitality, known as xenia, is the social expectation that Ancient Greeks were to show kindness to traveling strangers, thought to be enforced by Zeus himself. Menelaus tells Telemachus what he learned about Odysseus’ fate, giving the king’s son important information that shapes the rest of his journey.
Eumaeus
In The Odyssey, Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) is Odysseus’ loyal shepherd and one of the most steadfast and morally grounded characters in the epic. During Odysseus’ 20-year absence, the Encanto actor's character displays his undying loyalty to the king and his household, resisting Penelope’s suitors.
When a man whom Eumaeus sees as a simple beggar arrives in Ithaca, he offers him shelter without knowing his true identity, demonstrating the values of hospitality and kindness that contrast sharply with the suitors’ behavior. Eumaeus plays a key role in the final battle, underscoring the theme that true nobility is shown through actions, not status.
Antinous
Many suitors vie for Penelope’s hand in marriage in The Odyssey, and Antinous (Robert Pattinson) is the most aggressive and arrogant of them all. In the epic adaptation, The Batman actor's character will repeatedly violate the sacred Greek custom of xenia, insult Telemachus, and scheme to kill him to secure his claim to the vacated throne.
Unabashedly entitled and cruel, Antinous’s conniving behavior makes him the epic’s most prominent moral antagonist. A physical representation of the decay of order and honor during Odysseus’ absence, Antinous is a moral foil to the king he seeks to replace and one of the most compelling villains in Greek mythology.
Melantho
Melantho (Mia Goth) is a maidservant in Odysseus’ palace who, along with her treacherous brother Melanthius, aligns herself with Penelope’s suitors. In Homer's original epic, the Star Wars: Starfighter actress' character betrays the queen and her household, shows disdain for Odysseus, and engages in an affair with a charismatic but devious suitor named Eurymachus.
Her mockery of Odysseus, disrespect for the palace's sanctity, and participation in the debauched culture of excess fostered by the suitors make Melantho a symbol of betrayal within the king’s household. Her choices and actions are a sign of the internal corruption that took root in Ithaca during Odysseus’ prolonged absence.
