Speaking about his experience working with director Christopher Nolan, Damon said the filmmaker’s commitment to realism meant the production avoided green screens and relied heavily on practical filmmaking techniques.

“It was by far the hardest movie I’ve ever made,” Damon said in an interview shared on the Instagram page of animal advocacy group The Dodo. “Chris likes to shoot everything real. So there’s no green screen, no faking it, no studio stuff.”

The Odyssey is an upcoming epic fantasy action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey. The film stars Damon as Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, and follows his long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War, as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope.

The ensemble cast features Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron.

The film is being produced by Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas under their production banner Syncopy. It will be distributed by Universal Pictures.

The Odyssey is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on July 17, 2026, with an IMAX release planned.