The Odyssey Colossal Budget: Christopher Nolan Will Spend $150 Million More Than Oppenheimer for His Next Movie With Matt Damon (Report)

SUMMARY

• Christopher Nolan announced his next epic earlier this week with Universal, with the maverick filmmaker ready to tackle on The Odyssey.
• The adaptation of Homer's epic will reportedly star Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, and Robert Pattinson.
• The epic scale film is rumored to have a budget of $250 million which is set to be Nolan's most expensive film yet.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was described as a mythic action film by Universal Pictures in their announcement and it seems like the studio is not holding him back from achieving this feat. According to an insider report, the upcoming epic is set to be mounted on a whopping $250 million budget, making it Nolan’s most expensive film yet.

The filmmaker has proven to be extremely profitable in the past. His previous film Oppenheimer, which was his first collaboration with Universal, was a blockbuster and earned $976 million at the global box office. His earlier films have also been highly profitable, with films like The Dark Knight and its sequel earning more than $1 billion.

Christopher Nolan’s rumored budget for Matt Damon starrer The Odyssey is more than Oppenheimer

Matt Damon in The Great Wall | Credits: Universal Pictures

While his films are unpredictable in their treatment, one can be assured that a Christopher Nolan film will be on a massive scale. Even his more intimate films such as Oppenheimer, which was a three-hour biopic with mostly conversations, were treated like epic blockbusters, boasting a stellar cast and a $100 million budget.

So, when it comes to his upcoming epic-by-design film The Odyssey, Nolan seems to not want to compromise on anything. The adaptation of Grecian poet Homer’s Odyssey already has an A-list cast with Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Robert Pattinson headlining it.

A still from Oppenheimer | Credits: Universal Pictures

Described as a mythic action film, the latest report on The Odyssey is that the film will have an incredible budget of $250 million. The figure would make the film Nolan’s most expensive project yet, clocking in more than The Dark Knight Rises, which many sources cited cost at least $230 million to make (via LA Times).

Nolan has always commanded large production budgets with equal marketing budgets. His mind-bending actioner Tenet had a total budget of $205 million while Dunkirk cost $100 million (via The Numbers).

Christopher Nolan will be using new IMAX cameras for The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan | Credits: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Christopher Nolan has always been a huge proponent of the IMAX experience. He regularly uses the film cameras and with Oppenheimer, even pushed Kodak to develop black-and-white film rolls that were compatible with IMAX cameras. He has also pushed the projection of his films at 70mm IMAX theaters, of which there are only a few in the world.

His latest film The Odyssey will reportedly use new IMAX technology to bring the Grecian epic to life. While it is not clear what the new tech exactly does, the company’s recent conference may have hinted at the type of cameras that they were developing which might be used in Nolan’s upcoming epic.

According to Forbes, the new IMAX cameras would be a modern-day update to the eight cameras that exist now. They will reportedly be lighter and make less noise, allowing filmmakers to include more footage shot on IMAX in their films. This would eliminate one of the biggest complaints that Nolan’s films have received i.e. sound.

IMAX’s head of post-production Bruce Markoe also reportedly revealed new updates for the camera that would make on-set viewing more convenient. The analog film cameras would reportedly use a full-HD color display and compatibility with wireless monitors that would enable external viewing.

The Odyssey is scheduled to release on July 17, 2026.

Written by Nishanth A

Articles Published: 1682

Nishanth A is a Media, English and Psychology graduate from Bangalore. He is an avid DC fanboy and loves the films of Christopher Nolan. He has published over 1,000 articles on FandomWire. When he's not fixating on the entire filmography of a director, he tries to write and direct films.