A first-look image of Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey provides an interesting preview of Matt Damon’s take on Odysseus. The adaptation of the epic poem of the same name, anticipated to be released on July 17, 2026, will star actors Nolan has worked with previously and newcomers to his films, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and more.

While there still isn’t much information on Nolan’s next project, the new image gives some hints about what is to come. The cape and the panache in Damon’s helmet seem like classic depictions of Ancient Greece today, but they are not accurate to what Ancient Greek audiences would have expected Odysseus to wear at the time The Odyssey was written.

Matt Damon’s Greek Armor In The Odyssey Is Not Very Accurate

While Helmet Plumes and Capes Are Popular in Modern Representations of Ancient Greece, the Truth Looked Much Different

While many films about Ancient Greece exhibit characters in armor very similar to what Matt Damon wears in the new image, history shows that the armor people actually wore during that time looked quite different. Real Mycenaean armor was constructed using bronze plating and looked more like a tube, and boar’s head tusk helmets were popular, rather than the classic red plume.

The oldest set of armor that is still intact is called the Dendra armor, and it dates back to 15th century BC. A study from 2024 discusses how it’s very possible this type of armor was used not only for ceremony but also for combat, serving as further proof that the popular depiction of Ancient Greek armor is inaccurate to what would have been worn at the time (via the University of Thessaly). The armor Odysseus is wearing uses materials that weren’t used until hundreds of years later.

It’s hard to see all the details of Matt Damon’s armor since he’s looking over his shoulder in the picture, but the helmet plume and cape combination is enough to prove that Nolan isn’t trying to create a perfect picture of Ancient Greece. This first look into The Odyssey reveals that the film will draw from a modern idea of what Ancient Greece was like by using the style of Ancient Greek armor that people are most familiar with.

Expect Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey To Take A Lot Of Liberties

The Odyssey Will Retell a Ten-Year Epic Within the Length of a Movie Runtime

While Oppenheimer‘s three-hour runtime proves that Christopher Nolan doesn’t shy away from creating long films, it’s still unlikely that Nolan will be able to cover every event that takes place in the original Odyssey. The epic poem covers a ten-year journey home and spans twenty-four books, so it would be difficult to give every part of it the weight that it deserves. Most likely, Nolan will have to take some liberties in order to make the film feel like the epic it’s supposed to be, and this first look at costuming shows that he is more focused on telling the story he wants to tell than being historically accurate.

The Dark Knight trilogy demonstrates that Nolan has experience turning stories with a large mythology into films anyone can enjoy. While The Dark Knight trilogy has some differences from Batman comics and other adaptations, it’s still considered one of the best comic book movies, displaying how Nolan isn’t afraid to change the source material when he feels it serves the story. Between this and Nolan’s experience creating films that play around with time, adapting The Odyssey gives Nolan a lot of room to decide what it is about the epic poem that he most wants to explore.

Source: University of Thessaly