Christopher Nolan is continuing to assemble one of the most stacked casts in recent memory for The Odyssey, his upcoming mythic action epic, and now, he’s bringing in a true unsung legend. It has now been confirmed by Variety that John Leguizamo has joined the highly anticipated film, which is set to hit cinemas, including IMAX screens, on July 17, 2026. While Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal and, as of yesterday, Benny Safdie, are grabbing headlines as part of Nolan’s Greek pantheon of A-listers, Leguizamo is a really cool addition that speaks to Nolan‘s great taste.

Leguizamo is best known for his huge range of roles across popular movies for decades. He played Benny Blanco in Carlito’s Way, Chi-Chi in To Wong Foo, and Tybalt in Romeo + Juliet. He was also in Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam and played the eccentric Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge! He’s also appeared in action-packed hits like Casualties of War, Die Hard 2, Tony Scott’s Revenge, and, of course, John Wick. More recently, he was a standout in The Menu and voiced Bruno — who we don’t talk about — in Disney’s Encanto. Of course, he’s also the unmistakable voice of Sid the Sloth in the Ice Age franchise, which currently has a sixth film in development.

What is ‘The Odyssey’ About?

Universal is going all-in on this project, describing it as a “mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology.” The film will mark the first time Homer’s inspirational and seminal text has been brought to the big screen in IMAX, and it should deliver the usual: a grand, visually stunning interpretation of one of literature’s most enduring stories. Hardly a difficult sell to a cast of that calibre.

The original story of The Odyssey follows the legendary Greek hero King Odysseus as he embarks on a ten year long journey to get home to Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way he meets a few gods, a couple monsters, keeps his eye on a cyclops, and tries to keep hold of his sanity as he faces challenges that threaten him physically and mentally. Sounds like living in 2025 if you ask us.

Production on The Odyssey is set to kick off in late February. The film will open in theaters worldwide on July 17, 2026.

via Collider