Christopher Nolan’s $250 Million ’Odyssey’ Begins Filming Amid Controversy

The main filming of The Odyssey began last month in the United Kingdom, Morocco and Sicily, as well as in Greece. On Thursday, the filming crews took up residence in Aït Benhaddou, Morocco, where films like Gladiator II and Game Of Thrones have been shot. The budget allocated to the film’s production would be $250 million, reported The InSneider at the end of December. It would be the "most expensive" film of Christopher Nolan’s, 54, career and the first epic action film shot with the new IMAX technology.

The Odyssey is an adaptation of the epic written by the Greek poet Homer in the 8th century BC. British director Christopher Nolan has called on several actors such as Matt Damon, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Samantha Morton, Will Yun Lee and Mia Goth to play various roles. But the choice of these actors is not well received by cinema lovers. They have posted comments on the official X account of The Odyssey. "Why don’t you use any Greek actors for a Greek epic? How is that justified?" fumed the X user @alexrodino.

Another user drives the point home: "A film about Greek mythology, without a single Greek or Greek-American actor, not even one, in the main cast," tweeted user @HarryT44979617. Another Internet user is outraged: "It’s a parody. And who’s going to play Helen, Zendaya? Stop that. I like Matt Damon, I like Nolan’s films, but the casting choices are disrespectful to Greece’s heritage."

Produced by Universal Pictures, The Odyssey will be released in theaters on July 17, 2026.