After a record-breaking box office debut and a series of exclusive screenings for Academy voters in Los Angeles, New York, and London, the filmmaker’s latest epic appears to have shifted the awards conversation months before nominations are even on the horizon.
The film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside an ensemble that includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo.
Early Academy Screenings Put The Odyssey at the Center of the Oscar Race
Universal’s awards campaign has started with a strong first impression. The Academy hosted member screenings in multiple cities, including a nearly full house at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles, while additional presentations in London and New York gave voters an early chance to experience the film on 70mm and 35mm prints. Those screenings have quickly sparked conversations about Nolan’s chances of following “Oppenheimer” with another major awards contender.
Among the reactions shared by attendees, one veteran Academy member placed the author at the very top of modern cinema. “I didn’t think anything could top Oppenheimer and Chris’ [Nolan] first film Following. He is the definitive filmmaker of our time.” Another voter was similarly enthusiastic while acknowledging one minor reservation, describing the picture as “spectacular” and adding that it was “a little bit long but massive in scale.”
The ensemble cast has also become an early talking point. One Academy actor compared the lineup to “the NBA All-Star game of acting” before praising Matt Damon, John Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Robert Pattinson, and Anne Hathaway, joking, “Good luck to those of us that have movies coming out the rest of the year.”
Damon’s portrayal of Odysseus appears to be generating some of the strongest praise. One Academy member pointed to two quieter moments in the film that stayed with them. “I became so emotional when he hears the Sirens, and when he pets his beautiful dog. I think Matt has to win the Oscar. He has to.” Those scenes have become part of the early conversation surrounding a performance that many voters already see as a leading contender for Best Actor.
Nolan’s adaptation reimagines Homer’s epic through a partially non-linear narrative, following Odysseus as he faces Cyclopes, Sirens, Circe, and other legendary figures while struggling to return to Ithaca and reunite with Penelope and Telemachus after years at sea.