Jon Bernthal Joins Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’

Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson and Anne Hathaway are among the cast for the director’s take on the epic poem.

Jon Bernthal at the 'Bob Marley: One Love' premiere. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.

Preview:

Jon Bernthal is the latest recruit for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’
Lupita Nyong’o, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya are among the cast.
Nolan will kick off shooting soon.

If you thought ‘Oppenheimer’ writer/director Christopher Nolan was finished adding to the sprawling, starry cast for his follow-up, ‘The Odyssey,’ think again!

The Odyssey

Not Yet RatedJul 17th, 2026

An adaptation of Homer's epic poem of the same name. Shot across the world, this mythic action epic follows Odysseus as he embarks on a 10-year journey home after... Read the Plot

He’s tapped yet another person for the ensemble, which at this point appears to include half of the A-list phone book (kids, ask your parents on that one).

The most recent recruit is ‘The Bear’s Emmy winner Jon Bernthal who will be playing… Well, that would be telling. And we can’t tell you because, like everyone else in the secretive filmmaker’s latest opus, he has yet to reveal character details.

But here’s what we know so far…

What’s the story of Christopher Nolan’s next film?

Writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of 'Oppenheimer.'

In December, after months of speculation and casting, we got official confirmation that the movie is an adaptation of ‘The Odyssey,’ as revealed by Universal in a twitter post:

“Christopher Nolan’s next film ‘The Odyssey’ is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX film screens for the first time.”

‘The Odyssey’ is a classic piece of literature by Homer that is divided between 24 different books, preceded by ‘The Iliad.’

The ancient Greek poem is one of the foundational texts of Western literature. It tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his perilous journey home after the Trojan War, exploring themes of heroism, loyalty, cunning, and the struggle against divine will. The tale includes iconic episodes like his encounters with the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe, culminating in his reunion with his wife, Penelope.

Historians and scholars date the poem to sometime between 750-650 BC. The first printed Greek version became available in 1488. In the centuries since, it has remained one of the most studied, adapted and parodied stories ever with adaptations including the 1911 silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro, 1954’s ‘Ulysses’ with Kirk Douglas and the 2000 Coen brothers comedy ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’

A more recent adaptation premiered this past December in theaters: ‘The Return,’ which stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche and was directed by Uberto Pasolini. On limited release, it has so far earned less than a million dollars worldwide.

Universal will no doubt be hoping for a slightly higher return on Nolan’s film, since, according to reporter Jeff Sneider, his ‘Odyssey’ carries a hefty $250 million price tag. Compare that to ‘Oppenheimer,’ which he made for $100 million and ‘Tenet,’ which had a $205 million budget.

Still, given that ‘Oppenheimer’ brought in nearly a billion dollars (and continues to earn on home entertainment venues), there’s reason for confidence.

Who else is in the cast for Nolan’s latest project?

Robert Pattinson in 'Tenet'. Photo: Warner Bros.

Nolan has been locking down a wealth of talent for his latest movie. Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, of course, are veterans of working with the director, having appeared in two other projects of his (both were in ‘Interstellar,’ while Hathaway had previously played Selina Kyle in ‘The Dark Knight Rises' and Damon was in ‘Oppenheimer.’

Then there’s Robert Pattinson, who graced ‘Tenet.’

And on the Nolan newcomer front, we have Tom Holland, Zendaya (even if they’re hardly strangers to co-starring together), Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron.

It’s anyone’s guess at this point what role the various ensemble members will be playing, or indeed how faithful Nolan’s movie will end up being. Can we hope for a giant fantasy epic from the director?

Who else is working on Nolan’s latest?

Oscar® nominee Christopher Nolan arrives with Emma Thomason at the red carpet of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Nolan is also writing and producing the film, reuniting with his longtime producing and life partner Emma Thomas, who won the Best Picture Oscar for ‘Oppenheimer’ alongside Nolan.

As for the rest of the crew, we’ll have to wait and see, though Nolan tends to work with a lot of people more than once, so expect to see some familiar names when the credits role.

The cameras are set to start rolling next month.

Why is Universal distributing Nolan’s new film?

Christopher Nolan accepts the Oscar® for Directing during the live ABC telecast of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

While the filmmaker had been based for years at Warner Bros., the company’s decision to put much of its 2020 slate on streaming saw him take his business elsewhere.

The rights to ‘Oppenheimer’ were put up for auction, a bidding battle that Universal ultimately won and reaped the rewards when the movie became a huge sensation.

Nolan was clearly happy without things worked out in collaboration with the studio, as he’s gone right back to it for this new project, which, like ‘Oppenheimer,’ will shoot in the IMAX format.

Where else have I seen Jon Bernthal?

(L to R) Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck in 'The Accountant 2'. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.

In addition to his occasional appearances on ‘The Bear’ (which as mentioned have won him praise and awards), Bernthal is known for a few key roles.

Also on TV, he broke out playing Frank Castle/The Punisher on Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ and the ‘Punisher’ show that featured his character (he’ll be back in the role for new Disney+ series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ in March).

And he also won fans as Shane Walsh on post-apocalyptic zombie series ‘The Walking Dead.’

On the big screen, he’s been in movies such as ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘Fury,’ ‘Sicario,’ ‘Ford V Ferrari’ and ‘King Richard.’ He’ll reprise his role as Brax in ‘The Accountant 2,’ due out on April 25th.

The Accountant 2

R2 hr 4 minApr 25th, 2025

Christian Wolff is brought out of hiding by Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina after someone close to them is killed by unknown assassins. To solve the murder, Wolff... Read the Plot