While Christopher Nolan and Matt Damon are only now preparing to bring their Odyssey to cinemas, Ralph Fiennes has already taken the lead with a stunning physical transformation. This August, Hungarian audiences will see the latest adaptation. Homer’s classic has never been in a bigger spotlight in the film world than it is this year.

Many movie fans have already circled July 17, 2026, on their calendars, when Christopher Nolan‘s much-anticipated Odyssey with Matt Damon in the lead role arrives. Of course, this isn’t the first time the story comes to the big screen: Ralph Fiennes has already jumped ahead with The Return of Ulysses before Nolan’s new project.

“The Return of Ulysses” premiered in 2024 at the Toronto International Film Festival, right when Nolan only announced he would also be working on an Odyssey film. A project of this magnitude has long been in development, so Nolan surely knew about Uberto Pasolini’s film. Still, it’s undisputed that the two films will be entirely different, even if they draw from the same source.

Different ambitions

The Return of Ulysses focuses mainly on the final passages of Homer’s epic, while Nolan’s blockbuster covers a much broader historical arc. Just look at the cast and budget: Nolan’s film cost $250 million, while Fiennes’ version was just $20 million—proof enough they play in different leagues.

Still, The Return of Ulysses has already been released in several countries—Italy, for example, has brought in $1.3 million at the box office. In Hungary, this Italian–British–Greek co-production starring Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer, and Ángela Molina hits cinemas from August 29.

Critics have also been favorable: it reached a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The question is whether Nolan’s Odyssey will be able to surpass this, although nine of his films have already exceeded that threshold and only three—The Prestige, Interstellar, and Tenet—fell below it.

Source: Espinf