Matt Damon looks like literally any ancient Greek soldier in the first image for Christopher Nolan's Odyssey

Feels like a bit more could have been done here.

Our first look at Matt Damon as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's Odyssey is here, and you'd be forgiven for thinking he's just any old ancient Greek soldier.

We've known for a little while now that Matt Damon would be appearing in Christopher Nolan's take on Homer's Odyssey, but yesterday on the official Odyssey movie Twitter account, it was confirmed that he'd be playing Odysseus, the hero of the original text. The tweet shows a photograph of Damon in what I assume is a costume test for the character, and he certainly looks like what you'd expect of an ancient Greek soldier, particularly with that helmet with the big, classic red plume down the middle of it. Except, as some users have pointed out online, Odysseus has been described to have worn a helmet made of leather and boar teeth, so it feels a bit safe of Nolan and co to just go for the generic soldier look.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, production is expected to start later this month, which is likely why we're getting a look at Damon as Odysseus now. Damon isn't the only big name attached to the cast either, as Nolan has also brought aboard Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Benny Safdie, and Samantha Morton. With a star studded cast like that, you'll have to wonder if Nolan can convince the audience to look past it and see the historical epic as just that, but he obviously found surprising success in Oppenheimer, so anything's possible.

Currently the film is slated to be released in theatres on July 17, 2026, and is expected to shoot in multiple locations that Homer had originally envisioned as the setting for the Odyssey, so at least Nolan is trying to be authentic in some areas.