The CinemaCon is turning out to be a massive event with updates on major anticipated movies pouring in. The latest of which included Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey where an extended footage was shown to audiences in the room.
According to reports, the video opened with Matt Damon's Odysseus who was seen shirtless wit a burly beard. After being gone away for a long time, he tells Calypso (Charlize Theron) that he "can't remember anything before Troy." "Did I have a wife? Children? Maybe a son? If I had a son, how old would he be now?" said Matt Damon in the film. The glimpse then goes on to show the famous Trojan horse attack where a large wooden horse was used by the Greeks to enter Troy and launch a coveted attack.
The tense sequences also show Odysseus urging his soldiers to keep rowing through the storm and then shoot their arrows at night. They also meet the dangerous cyclops Polyphemus where he grabs one of the troops and eats him to pieces.
The footage also reportedly shows Jon Bernthal’s Menelaus inviting Tom Holland’s Telemachus to sit with him at a large feast to recall the story of the Trojan Horse.
The Odyssey, based on Homer's epic poem of the same name, chronicles his long and ardous journey after the Trojan war to reunite with his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland).
Speaking at the event, Nolan said, "Why 'The Odyssey?' The Odyssey is a story that has fascinated generation after generation for 3,000 years. It's not a story. It's the story." Given the robust call sheet, Nolan joked there were too many stars to feasibly bring with him to CinemaCon.
Describing the filming process as a "nightmare", Nolan said it was filmed across Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland and Scotland. "This has been an absolute nightmare to film — but in all the right ways. We had an amazing time," he said, heaping praise on Damon.
Sharing the actor's tough work on the sets, he said, "He was there on the boats, up the mountains, in the caves, in the beating sunshine, sideways rain, wind. You’ll be pleased to know how difficult it was. It was meant to be; that’s the nature of this story."
Along with Damon, Hathaway, Holland and Theron, the stacked ensemble includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo and Himesh Patel.
Nolan regulars like Oscar winner Hoyte van Hoytema and Oscar Winner Ludwig Goransson are part of The Odyssey. The former is handling cinematography, while the latter is composing the music.
The Odyssey is releasing theatrically on June 17.
