Jon Bernthal is plunging into the wine-dark sea. The Punisher star is the latest addition to the star-studded cast of Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey. Deadline reports that Bernthal‘s role remains under wraps.
Little is known of Nolan‘s follow-up to his blockbuster biopic Oppenheimer, save that it is an adaptation of Homer‘s epic poem, which chronicles the ten-year sea voyage of Odysseus back from the Trojan War to his homeland of Ithaca. Along the way, he and his crew encounter witches, monsters, and demigods, delaying his return to his ever-faithful wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus. Bernthal will join a cast that already includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. The film is set to begin shooting next month and will be released on IMAX screens everywhere on July 17, 2026.
What Will Jon Bernthal Be In Next?
Next up for Bernthal is a return to one of his most famous roles, the lethal vigilante Frank Castle, alias the Punisher. Bernthal first played the character on Netflix’s Daredevil before headlining two seasons of his own spinoff, and will reprise it in the Disney+ revival series, Daredevil: Born Again, in March. He is also slated to star in the Netflix thriller miniseries His & Hers, alongside Tessa Thompson. Bernthal also has two films slated for release this year. He’ll return to the role of Brax Wolff, brother to Ben Affleck‘s autistic money-launderer in The Accountant 2, and is also set to appear alongside Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne in The Amateur. He may also appear on the upcoming fourth season of The Bear as Mikey Berzatto, brother to head chef Carmy; although his character’s death kicks off the events of the series, he has appeared in a recurring fashion via flashback.
As one of the foundational texts of human literature, The Odyssey has been the basis for a number of films dating back to the silent era. A number of films have also taken the story and transplanted it to other settings beyond Ancient Greece, including Cold Mountain, which takes it to the American Civil War, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which reimagines the tale as a black comedy set during the Great Depression. Last year, the final leg of the tale, detailing Odysseus’ return to Ithaca, was filmed as as The Return, reuniting the English Patient duo of Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.
The Odyssey will be released in theaters on July 17, 2026.
via Collider