Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Finally Shows Its Gods and Warriors in Stunning First Look at Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, and Elliot Page
The mythological blockbuster event of the summer just got a whole lot more real. We just got the first official look at Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, and Elliot Page in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’, and the images are as atmospheric and meticulously crafted as fans of the director have come to expect.
Theron plays Calypso, a nymph who lives on the island of Ogygia and tries to keep Odysseus as her immortal husband. The first look image (coming from a just released trailer) reveals her bathed in warm golden light, her expression simultaneously tender and dangerous, which is exactly the energy a character like Calypso demands. The role actually represents a revelation, as earlier speculation and even some of Theron’s own public comments had suggested she would portray Circe rather than Calypso.
Theron had hinted at the Circe connection during a Variety red carpet interview before joining the production, saying she planned to talk to Nolan about the role and admitting she felt it was “super intimidating” as the last cast member to arrive on set. The first look images put those early rumors firmly to rest, and the result looks every bit as compelling as fans hoped.
John Leguizamo joins the epic as Eumaeus, Odysseus’s faithful servant, and the first look captures him windswept and world-weary against an overcast sky, a quietly grounding presence in what promises to be a film of enormous scale. Leguizamo has spent multiple decades building an impressive résumé, earning Emmy nominations for ‘When They See Us’ and ‘Waco’ while also appearing in ‘Encanto’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and ‘John Wick’. Seeing him slot into Nolan’s universe feels like a genuinely inspired choice.
Elliot Page rounds out the trio in the first look, appearing battered and grim-faced in what looks like a scene of real physical and emotional weight. Page is among several cast members with an undisclosed supporting role in the film, which means audiences will have to wait until July to find out exactly where they fit into Homer’s sprawling epic. The mystery feels very much in keeping with Nolan’s habit of keeping his cards close to his chest.
The film carries a reported budget of around 250 million dollars and is set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 17. Composer Ludwig Göransson, celebrated for his work on ‘The Mandalorian’, ‘Oppenheimer’, and ‘Sinners’, joins the production alongside cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who has lensed every Nolan film since ‘Interstellar’. The pedigree behind the camera is as staggering as the talent in front of it.
At CinemaCon, Nolan joked about the sheer scale of his ensemble, quipping that it would have been quicker to tell the audience who is not in the movie, and that the combined weight of extraordinary talent would have collapsed the stage. With names like Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Jon Bernthal already confirmed, adding Theron, Leguizamo, and Page to the visual conversation only deepens the excitement around what could be Nolan’s most ambitious undertaking yet.
What do you think of the first looks at these three cast members in ‘The Odyssey’, and which character or storyline are you most excited to see Nolan bring to life?
