Christopher Nolan is known for pushing cinematic boundaries, and his upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey is set to break new ground once again. The highly anticipated epic starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyong’o will become the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond revealed at the Cannes Film Festival how Nolan issued the company a major technical challenge. Nolan had approached Gelfond about filming the entire movie in IMAX, something previously considered impossible due to significant practical hurdles. Gelfond shared:
“A year before Chris started filming The Odyssey, he called me and said he wanted to make a whole film shot with IMAX cameras. That couldn’t be done for a lot of reasons… [Nolan said] ‘I’m going to give you a challenge. If you can figure out how to solve these problems, I’m going to make Odyssey 100% with IMAX cameras,’ and we’ve solved his problems.”
Traditionally, IMAX cameras have been limited to select scenes because they’re large, loud, heavy, and notoriously expensive. Nolan’s previous film, Oppenheimer, already pushed IMAX capabilities significantly, earning critical acclaim, substantial box-office success, and multiple Oscars.
Gelfond praised Nolan’s vision for forcing IMAX to rethink its processes and infrastructure, saying:
“Chris forced us to rethink how we operated our film side of our business… It kind of was a challenge to look at our business in a different way. And I’m glad he gave us that challenge.”
Fans eager to experience Nolan’s groundbreaking IMAX endeavor can look forward to The Odyssey, which hits theaters on July 17, 2026.