Christopher Nolan is receiving a rapturous response for his new film The Odyssey. But according to the director, it wouldn’t have worked without Matt Damon.Damon plays Odysseus in Nolan’s film adaptation of Homer’s classic poem, which follows the hero’s long journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War as he battles monsters, gods and mythical foes.While the filmmaker said he didn’t have any actor in mind while writing the script, he immediately thought of the Jason Bourne actor when it came time to cast it, having worked with him on Interstellar and Oppenheimer.Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey’ (Universal)“I’d worked with Matt twice before and he has such a great connection to the audience, he draws them in,” Nolan told The Los Angeles Times.“For this very complex character, you need an actor who disappears into parts, who is very open to the audience. You want the audience to go with him through his mistakes – and he makes a lot of mistakes. Nolan said that Damon can traverse different styles of characters with ease, adding: “Matt was everyman for The Martian, a kind of superhero for the Jason Bourne films, and Odysseus is part everyman, part superhero.”Matt Damon ‘disappears into parts’, director Christopher Nolan said (Getty)Damon is effective casting for the film – Odysseus is both arrogant and tender, and Damon taps into both with ease while playing the role. You also believe that a crew of soldiers would hang on his every word during a war and follow him wherever he leads, a crucial aspect required to make many scenes a success – but Nolan says life imitated art in this aspect.“We were going to really challenging locations, doing a lot of boat work, and he helped to lead that process,” the filmmaker said. “The rest of the cast, a cadre of guys who worked their asses off rowing, was looking to him and everyone saw what he was doing for the film. “Without Matt, we would have been better off doing it on a sound stage.”Christopher Nolan’s first pick for Odysseus was the Jason Bourne actor (Reuters)Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.The Independent described The Odyssey as “Nolan’s biggest film to date”.“This film has about triple the number of huge set pieces than any of Nolan’s previous films, and every single one of them is breathtaking in their own way,” the outlet said. “In The Odyssey, Nolan showcases visual trickery in a way you’ve never seen before.”The Independent praised Tom Holland’s performance as Telemachus, calling it the Spider-Man actor’s “best role to date” and also highlighted Samantha Morton as a particular scene-stealer in her role as Circe.The Odyssey is the first feature film to be shot entirely on IMAX film cameras, made possible after the director worked with IMAX to develop lighter, quieter equipment capable of handling dialogue-heavy scenes.The Odyssey will be released in cinemas on 17 July 2026.