Christopher Nolan Picks the One Odyssey Translation to Read Before His Next Film

If you want some homework before Christopher Nolan drops The Odyssey, he just told you which book to crack open. And yes, he actually named a specific translation.

So which Odyssey should you read?

In a new chat with Empire Magazine, Nolan singled out Emily Wilson's version as the one that stuck with him while prepping the film — the modern translation that famously kicks off with:

'Tell me about a complicated man.'

He also made it clear what draws him to Odysseus: not the sword-swinging, but the brain. The trickster. The strategist. The guy who problem-solves his way out of nightmare after nightmare. Pretty on-brand for a Nolan protagonist.

What this movie is actually chasing

Nolan is zeroing in on the core of Homer's poem: a man trying to get home. His take is pitched as a large-scale, myth-driven action epic that tracks the ten-year slog back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. He teased that you'll have to wait until summer 2026 to see how he handles the homecoming and what Odysseus finds when he finally walks through the door. Yes, we all know how the original ends — but let the man have his suspense.

Cast, characters, and where to pencil it in

Fresh first-look images confirm Anne Hathaway as Penelope, queen of Ithaca, and Tom Holland as Telemachus. We also see Mia Goth as Melantho, one of Penelope's maids. Matt Damon leads the whole thing as Odysseus, backed by a stacked ensemble:

• Matt Damon as Odysseus
• Anne Hathaway as Penelope (seen in new images)
• Tom Holland as Telemachus (seen in new images)
• Mia Goth as Melantho (seen in new images)
• Robert Pattinson
• Zendaya
• Charlize Theron
• Lupita Nyong'o
• Jon Bernthal
• Elliot Page

The Odyssey reaches theaters on July 17, 2026. Nolan is producing alongside Emma Thomas. If you want to read ahead, Wilson's translation is the one he just spotlighted — and it's a pretty great on-ramp even if you have flashbacks to high school English.