Posted in: Movies, Universal | Tagged: Benny Safdie, christopher nolan, the odyssey

The Odyssesy: Benny Safdie Says "It Was An Incredible Experience"

Benny Safdie says his time on the set of Christopher Nolan's big screen adaptation of The Odyssey "was an incredible experience."

There are numerous big movies set to be released in July 2026, with more being added every day, but The Odyssey is the one that everyone is likely going to be competing against. The box office numbers for Oppenheimer are truly something that people will be talking about for a long time, and not just because of the cultural moment that was Barbenheimer. Nolan's next project was always going to be highly anticipated, but finding out he was adapting one of the pieces of classic literature, an epic poem, and a story that has influenced countless others since it was written centuries ago. The movie has a large and impressive cast, including some familiar faces from Nolan's other works. One of those familiar faces of Benny Safdie, who is reportedly playing Agamemnon, and while he's currently doing press for The Smashing Machine, GamesRadar+ asked him about his time on set.

"It was an incredible experience," said Safdie. "If I explained to you the scale of what it was and how it happened, you wouldn't even believe me. It really was remarkable to see this period of time come to life the way that it did. It was amazing."

Safdie was doing the interview with Emily Blunt, who stars in The Smashing Machine and also appeared in Oppenheimer, and she expressed, "I'm so excited to see The Odyssey. I am, goosebumps, yeah. I mean, Matt [Damon] is still feeling gratitude at getting to experience something like that."

Damon and Nolan have worked together several times, so if anyone could pull another incredible performance out of him for The Odyssey, it would be Nolan. Safdie elaborated, "I would come in and out and I would see him, and he'd literally have been going through the Odyssey. I would see him, but he would always have this incredible warmth and excitement about what we were doing. And it was just like, 'This is the greatest.'" Every cast member who has spoken publicly about their experience on set for this film has had nothing but praise for it. As a fan of classic literature, I would like to know if the dialogue will rhyme like the poem.

The Odyssey Looks Like It Will Be Epic In Every Sense Of The Word

At the beginning of October 2024, it was officially announced that Christopher Nolan would be returning to Universal for his next film following the success of Oppenheimer. It seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Nolan's relationship with Warner Bros. Universal, which appears to be giving him whatever he wants, which makes sense considering the whole Barbeheimer thing, the box office, and the awards season. Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Iddo Goldberg, John Leguizamo, and Michael Vlamis have reportedly joined the cast, and the untitled film was given a prime-time release date of July 17, 2026.

On December 24, 2024, it was announced on X/Twitter that Nolan would be adapting the classic, The Odyssey: "Christopher Nolan's next film 'The Odyssey' is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer's foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026." A teaser trailer was released in theaters only attached to Jurassic World Rebirth in July 2025. While it did leak online, the trailer has not been released online as of September 2025. Production reportedly wrapped at the beginning of August 2025.

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