Christopher Nolan provided the first look at his upcoming action fantasy epic The Odyssey with an image of the movie’s star Matt Damon, which marks a full-circle moment for the actor who has developed into one of Nolan’s most frequent recent collaborators. The Odyssey will be an adaptation of the Homeric epic poem of the same name, and mark the first time that Nolan has ever forayed into something with a fantasy lean. Most of his movies are more grounded in reality, even if they deal with counterfactual concepts and mind-bending twists on reality.

Despite having his choice of Hollywood A-listers, Nolan selected Damon as his hero, Odysseus, which marks the third time that they’ve collaborated in the last 11 years. While Damon has never actually taken on a sword-and-sandals epic, he has starred in a wide variety of genres over his career, which now spans more than 35 years. His undeniable talent is a big factor in why Nolan continues to enlist his services despite no experience within this specific genre, and as a result, The Odyssey will mark a major first for Damon’s career.

Matt Damon Is Finally Playing The Lead In A Christopher Nolan Movie

Damon Will Star As Odysseus In Nolan’s The Odyssey

The first-look image that Nolan revealed of Matt Damon in full Greek armor came with the confirmation that the 54-year-old A-lister would be playing Odysseus, the hero at the center of The Odyssey’s narrative. It marks the first time that Damon has been the lead in a Christopher Nolan movie, and it makes perfect sense that he would finally be afforded such an opportunity in his third collaboration with Nolan. He previously played the semi-antagonist role of Dr. Mann in Interstellar and was the on-screen portrayal of the Manhattan Project’s General Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer.

The prestige of being in a Christopher Nolan movie (no pun intended) means that the legendary filmmaker has his pick of the litter when it comes to casting. The cast for The Odyssey includes many actors who could very plausibly be the movie’s lead, including Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, and Himesh Patel. However, a veteran actor was always going to make the most sense for the battle-hardened Greek king, and of the announced cast, Damon is the clear best choice for the role.

It Was Only A Matter Of Time Before Matt Damon Led A Nolan Movie

He’s Still One Of Hollywood’s Biggest Stars Nearly 40 Years Into His Movie Career

Christopher Nolan may have his choice of megastars when casting a movie, but the 54-year-old director has a tendency to work with actors and actresses more than once. Nolan’s most frequent collaborators include Christian Bale (4 movies), Gary Oldman (4 movies), and Michael Caine (8 movies), and Damon was among the limited few to have been involved with at least three Nolan films. Cillian Murphy is one of the most famous Nolan collaborators, but it took him six movies before Nolan finally made him the lead in Oppenheimer.

It was really only a matter of time before an actor of Damon’s caliber was made the lead in a Nolan movie. With Nolan returning to him multiple times in a relatively short time frame, it’s clear that Damon and Nolan get along and have a similar perspective when it comes to making movies. Nolan has never attempted a large-scale fantasy epic like The Odyssey, so it makes sense that he would go with an actor he trusts for the lead role, as it will be on Damon to carry the film despite all the other star power in its cast.