‘The Odyssey’ World Premiere Sees Stars Including Zendaya, Matt Damon and More Praise Christopher Nolan’s Epic: ‘This Was His Magnum Opus’

“The Odyssey” has begun its grand voyage.

Christopher Nolan‘s major adaptation of Homer’s nearly 3,000 year-old Greek poem and arguably history’s most famous epic splashed down in London on Monday for its world premiere, the official launch of what many expect to become among the hottest releases of the summer (something that, given the $250 million price-tag, Universal is no doubt hoping for too).

In terms of stars, the first pit stop of “The Odyssey” global tour was among the punchiest seen in Leicester Square for some time, with a near full ensemble of cast showing up under the baking hot sun (a giant wooden horse, much like the one in movie, that had been brought along and assembled for the occasion, sadly didn’t provide quite enough shadow cover).

Alongside Nolan and his producer Emma Thomas, plus Universal’s top brass — including NBCUniversal Entertainment chair Donna Langley — the lineup on the (sea-themed blue) carpet almost rivalled the guest-list at Taylor Swift’s weekend nuptials, led by Matt Damon as Trojan War hero Odysseus, plus Zendaya, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo, Benny Safdie, Himesh Patel, Samantha Morton, Elliot Page, Travis Scott, Mia Goth and Corey Hawkins.

Several of the cast, including Damon, Hathaway and Pattinson have all collaborated with Nolan previously, while others, such as Zendaya, Holland and Theron are first-timers. But all were full of praise for the experience of working with the master filmmaker on this epic.

“It felt like six or seven movies in one,” Damon told Variety on the red carpet. “Because it kind of was. Each location was incredibly challenging, but each location was challenging in a different way. And I said to Emma [Thomas], actually, like a month in, I said, ‘Thank God I’m not producing.’”

Damon told Variety he felt a “wave of gratitude that hasn’t really gone away” when Nolan asked him to portray the famed warrior on screen.

He added of the role: “This is at the very top, because just the technical challenges to do this at this scale were beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

Pattinson, who is teaming up with Nolan again after “Tenet,” said that despite all the technical challenges, the director “manages to make these enormous things, but just never seems stressed.” He continued, “It’s always incredibly enjoyable. You know it’s gonna be so well organized and it’s gonna be like the highest level of ambition … and it’s just fun.” Pattinson added that he was just off the set of “The Batman Part 2” that morning. “I’ve still got eye make-up on!”

“The Odyssey” also represents an opportunity to see Hollywood super-couple Zendaya and Holland on screen, right before the duo appear in the latest Spider-Man outing “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” The “Euphoria” actor, who plays the goddess Athena, admitted that she got emotional watching her other half on set as Odysseus’ son Telemachus: “I was just moved by his performance. He’s incredible in this as he is in everything, and I’m just excited for people to see such a duality in one month back-to-back.”

Holland, meanwhile, told Variety: “I cannot put into words how I feel right now, and I think for the both of us this is a new experience.”

He later noted that his role was probably “the last time I might get the chance to play a boy.”

Theron, playing Calypso, said Nolan was one of the few directors “brave enough to take on a story like this” while Leguizamo added: “I felt like this was his magnum opus.”

Leguizamo, playing Odysseus’ loyal swineherd, went further in his praise for Nolan.

“He is a modern day Homer, the modern day innovator. He’s a visionary, like a prophet,” he said. “I have to say that working with him, I feel like I’ve done the best work of my life in acting. You know, I’ve always had a very hard time being really emotional on film, and this time he created such a sanctuary and such a safe space for me to be able to be that vulnerable.”

Playing Agamemnon, sporting the film’s best wardrobe (and the impressive helmet on the posters), Safdie said it was “so unexpected” to be asked to portray the iconic Greek king. “But Chris gives you a lot of confidence when he asks you to play something,” he continued. “Part of it is that he really believes that you can pull it off, right, so with this one I was like, okay, I don’t know if people might have chosen me to be such a figure, but if he thinks I can do, I can do it.”

Safdie added that he felt like Nolan had been building up to make “The Odyssey,” his biggest film to date.

“It’s like every movie he made was like in preparation for this, because it so many pieces of so many different styles and genres,” he said.

Rapper Travis Scott was also bowled over by Nolan, saying it felt like “getting a call from one of your favourite superheroes” when the iconic director asked him to join the cast as a bard.

While the man of the hour may have skipped the press line, Nolan did address the audience in the cinema. Inside, he made a joke about the England vs. Mexico World Cup match, which kicked off at 2 a.m. that morning, urging anyone who had stayed up to watch it to “not snore through the quiet bits of the film.”

Following the huge success of Nolan’s previous film “Oppenheimer,” which grossed more than $976 million worldwide and was the most successful biopic until recently being beating by “Michael,” there are expectations that “The Odyssey” will follow suit with an equally impressive box office. Record-breaking premium large format pre-sales — some of which were release a full year ahead of time in the summer of 2025 — would suggest solid anticipation over the movie, which is the first to be shot entirely on Imax’s 70mm cameras.

Given the scale of the cast and the clamour of requests for tickets, Universal held another screening elsewhere in London at the BFI Imax.

“The Odyssey” will release on July 17.