John Leguizamo joins the cast of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey

Christopher Nolan’s next film is shaping up with his signature use of name actors in his ensemble cast. It was recently reported that he will once again be working with Benny Safdie after having the director play a sizable role in Oppenheimer. Variety is now reporting that John Leguizamo is now joining the cast of Nolan’s historical epic. The Odyssey features an all-star list that includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Jon Bernthal. There has yet to be an announcement on what roles each actor will be playing.

When Universal Pictures officially announced the project last year, the studio described it as “a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology.” Production is slated to kick off in late February, and some reports state that this could be Nolan’s most expensive film to date. It’s expected to cost $250 million but could very easily go higher.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey plans to shoot around the globe using new IMAX technology, which is always an extra exciting perk with his films. Nolan has always been one of the biggest proponents of the IMAX film format. He’s known to push the limits of what IMAX can capture on screens, pairing superior visual presentation with dynamic audio design that fully immerses the audience in the film with an all-out assault on their sound stimulation.

Nolan is known for his realism in movies and his passion for shooting practically whenever he can, and he will be filming all over the world for The Odyssey, including the actual locations where Odysseus was believed to have been. A recent report stated that Nolan will shoot part of the film on Favignana, Sicily’s “Goat Island,” which is “believed to be the place where Homer envisioned Odysseus landed with his motley crew to barbecue goats and stock up on food. The idyllic isle is part of the Egadi archipelago off of Sicily’s north-west coast.“

The Odyssey is an ancient Greek poem by Homer that tells the tale of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his journey home after the ten-year Trojan War. The trip was perilous, including encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe. At home, Odysseus is presumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must contend with groups of unruly suitors who each want Penelope’s hand in marriage to control the kingdom.