By Mya Copeland, Tanya Fedak, Matt Minton
Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic “The Odyssey” is, well, epic.
Releasing in theaters July 17, Nolan’s latest film reimagines the famous Greek tale of Odysseus, starring Matt Damon as the king of Ithaca.
After teaching the Trojans that maybe you should look a giant, wooden gift horse in the mouth, Odysseus and his soldiers must embark on a long, treacherous journey (i.e., an odyssey) to get back home. The harrowing trip back to Ithaca is fraught with storms, monsters and plenty of twists as Odysseus is plagued by memories of the Trojan War and visions of the goddess Athena (played by Zendaya).
Meanwhile back in Ithaca, Anne Hathaway plays Odysseus’ wife Penelope, who’s trying to keep the peace in her home and must fend off a horde of would-be suitors with the help of her son Telemachus, played by Tom Holland.
The supporting cast is a who’s who of Hollywood stars, including several of Nolan’s past collaborators like Robert Pattinson, Elliot Page, Benny Safdie and Himesh Patel, plus Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o and more.
Here is a breakdown of the key characters and the actors who play gods, monsters and men:
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Odysseus (Matt Damon)
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting,” “The Martian”) stars as the eponymous Odysseus. Homer’s epic follows the aftermath of the Trojan war as Odysseus and his men attempt to return home to Ithaca. Along the way, he encounters a full cast of Greek gods and monsters, including goddess of wisdom and war Athena (Zendaya), the sorceress Circe (Samantha Morton), sea nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) and cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin). This is Damon’s third collaboration with Christopher Nolan, after “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer,” but his first as the central character.
