Christopher Nolan goes all in for The Odyssey; uses over 2 million feet of film for his monumental epic

Christopher Nolan uses over 2 million feet of film for The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan is once again pushing cinematic boundaries, this time by diving into one of the most enduring epics of all time.

The filmmaker has revealed that he used more than 2 million feet of film for his upcoming adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, currently in post-production after wrapping its massive shoot in August.

In an interview with Empire magazine, Nolan described the extraordinary scope of the production, which took place largely at sea.

“I’ve been out on [the sea] for the last four months. We got the cast who play the crew of Odysseus’s ship out there on the real waves, in the real places … We really wanted to capture how hard those journeys would have been for people. And the leap of faith that was being made in an unmapped, uncharted world. We shot over 2 million ft of film,” he said.

The number is staggering but unsurprising for viewers familiar with Christopher Nolan’s dedication to practical filmmaking. The Odyssey was shot entirely on large-format IMAX cameras, which consume significantly more film than standard 35mm.

According to Indepth Cine, IMAX cameras burn through roughly 337 feet of 65mm film per minute, compared to just 90 feet for 35mm. At that rate, Nolan is estimated to have captured nearly 100 hours of raw footage — less than some famously oversized shoots like Mad Max: Fury Road (480 hours) and Gone Girl (500 hours), but massive by any normal standard.

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Christopher Nolan also revealed why he was drawn to this adaptation, decades after he was briefly attached to another ancient epic, Troy. “As a film-maker, you’re looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven’t been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with – Ray Harryhausen movies and other things – I’d never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, Imax production could do.”

His commitment to realism shaped every aspect of the production. “By embracing the physicality of the real world in the making of the film, you do inform the telling of the story in interesting ways. Because you’re confronted on a daily basis by the world pushing back at you.”

Matt Damon, who takes on the role of Odysseus, echoed that sentiment with enthusiasm, calling it the highlight of his decades-long career. “I can say, without hyperbole, that it was the best experience of my career … I saw the [Trojan] horse on the beach and I was just like, ‘F**k’. It was just so cool.”

The film also stars Tom Holland as Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, in what is expected to be one of the most anticipated cinematic events of the decade.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is set to release in July 2026.