After The Odyssey's First Look At Matt Damon's Odysseus, Fans Think They've Figured Out Who Tom Holland Is Playing

When Christopher Nolan makes a movie, expectations are high. When Christopher Nolan decides to make The Odyssey, one of the most legendary stories still told, expectations are going to explode. When Christopher Nolan makes The Odyssey with a cast that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya... just forget it. People’s minds are exploding.

When it was recently confirmed that Nolan’s new project was an adaptation of The Odyssey, many wondered if Tom Holland, whose casting in the film had already been announced, would be playing the lead role of Odysseus, as the understanding was that Holland had a major role in the project. However, Universal Pictures confirmed this morning with a single shot that the role of Odysseus is actually set to be played by another previously mentioned member of the cast: frequent Nolan collaborator Matt Damon (who, it must be said, looks incredible).

Of course, if Tom Holland isn’t playing Odysseus, then the next obvious question is who will he be playing? However, that now seems like a fairly easy question to answer as, once you eliminate Odysseus from the equation, there’s a very obvious role left that it would make sense for Holland to take. Many commenting on the image of Damon have suggested that Holland will likely play Telemachus, the son of Odysseus. Comments include…

• Called it. Tom Holland is Telemachus. -moviefacts
• now i'm more convinced Tom will be playing Telemachus and Anne is Penelope -undomielstar
• Everyone who thought Tom holland was playing Odysseus better say sorry rn -supreethkoppula_
• Tom is definitely his son, Telemachus, and presumably the main narrator of the story. that's why he is rumoured as lead. -undomielstar

To be fair, a lot of people suggested this role for Tom Holland as soon as it was revealed the movie in question was The Odyssey. Holland is certainly young for a traditional version of Odysseus, and while it was certainly possible that Nolan was putting together a non-traditional version of the story, Matt Damon is literally old enough to be Holland’s father, so the relationship works out.

Telemachus is a major part of The Odyssey, being the protagonist in the epic’s major subplot. The son of Odysseus goes on a journey of his own in search of his missing father.

The other suggested casting mentioned above, Anne Hathaway as Queen Penelope, also seems quite likely under the circumstances. Of course, The Odyssey cast is pretty deep, and we don’t know officially who anybody other than Matt Damon is playing, so things could go in a number of different directions. Greek gods and goddesses are a significant part of Homer's epic poem but we don't know how big a part they will play in the film, if any.

Even the suggestion that Holland is playing Telemachus is just an educated guess at this point, although it seems like the most likely situation. With The Odyssey going into production soon, ahead of a release date in the summer of 2026, it’s a safe bet that some more of the casting will be revealed over the next few months.