We’re still months away from Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey coming to theaters, but it feels like the production has been simultaneously drip-dropping information about the film and holding off announcements for years. For example, we’ve long known that Nolan has assembled an incredible cast, including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya. But outside of those few names, Nolan and co. have been reluctant to tell us who is playing whom in this big-budget take on the Heroic Greek tale.
However, Universal has finally released some more information. According to EW, the studio showed new footage from The Odyssey to attendees of CinemaCon last night. Presumably set early in the film, the scene found Matt Damon’s Odysseus talking to the figure who has held him hostage on an island for seven years. That figure, played by Charlize Theron, is Calypso.
For those who haven’t had a course in Classics, Calypso is a nymph (an ethereal creature less powerful than a goddess but more powerful than the average person) who traps Odysseus on the island of Ogygia. Calypso captures Odysseus as he travels home from the Trojan War and, immediately charmed by his good looks and ingenuity, devotes herself to him. Using magical songs and weaving on her golden loom, Calypso tries to convince Odysseus to marry him. However, he refuses and insists that he is faithful to his wife Penelope (Hathaway).
Although Calypso only appears in the first part of the story, she’s integral to The Odyssey. Not only does she effectively set the story in motion, keeping Odysseus away for seven years, but she also illustrates the stakes of the tale.
