THE ODYSSEY Reveals First On-Set Look at Lupita Nyong’o as Clytemnestra in Christopher Nolan’s Epic

A newly released behind-the-scenes glimpse of Christiopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has finally given fans their first look at Lupita Nyong’oin character as Clytemnestra in the massive mythological epic.

The image comes from a recent 60 Minutes segment that spotlighted Nolan’s ambitious production and its use of IMAX 70mm cameras.

Around the 2:37 mark in the video, Nolan is seen speaking with Nyong’o while she’s dressed in royal purple attire fit for the queen of Mycenae. Standing beside her is Benny Safdie, suited up in Agamemnon’s dark battle armor.

The footage doesn’t fully reveal the costumes since both actors are filmed from above and mostly from behind, but it still offers tease of the film’s visual style and the scale Nolan is aiming for.

Nyong’o is taking on two major roles in the film, portraying both Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy. In Greek mythology, Helen’s abduction ignites the Trojan War, the same brutal conflict that sends Matt Damon’s Odysseus on the long journey that defines the story.

Clytemnestra remains one of the more interesting and dangerous figures in Greek mythology. Across stories from Homer and playwrights like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, she’s known as the wife of Agamemnon and the mother of Orestes and Electra.

She ultimately becomes infamous for murdering Agamemnon after his return from war, seeking revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia. However, in both The Iliad and The Odyssey, her involvement in Agamemnon’s death is portrayed with more ambiguity, and her role is considerably smaller compared to later Greek tragedies.

Nolan’s adaptation is shaping up to be one of the filmmaker’s biggest swings yet. The movie is reportedly carrying a $250 million budget, making it the most expensive project of his career. It also marks Nolan’s first feature shot entirely on IMAX film cameras.

Along with directing, Nolan also wrote the screenplay and is producing the film alongside his wife and longtime collaborator Emma Thomas through their Syncopy banner. Universal Pictures is co-producing and distributing the film.

The cast Nolan assembled for this thing is pretty wild. Matt Damon leads the story as Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca fighting to return home after the Trojan War.

He’s joined by Tom Holland as Telemachus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Robert Pattinson as Antinous, Zendaya as Athena, and Charlize Theron as Calypso. The ensemble also includes Jon Bernthal, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, John Leguizamo, and Himesh Patel.

The Odyssey sails into theaters on July 17, 2026, and it already feels like Nolan is building something massive, strange, and visually stunning.