Walker Scobell isn’t really a demigod—he just plays one on TV.
But who better to appreciate the forthcoming release of Christopher Nolan’s take on The Odyssey than the lead star of Percy Jackson and the Olympians? After all, the hit Disney+ series adapted from the bestselling Rick Riordan novels is literally one giant mashup of Greek mythology, including elements and characters within Homer’s epic poem. Funnily enough, season two of Percy Jackson (the first four episodes are now streaming) involves an iconic figure from The Odyssey: the dreaded, man-eating Cyclops known as Polyphemus.
Recently speaking with SYFY WIRE over Zoom, Scobell revealed what he’s most excited to see from the sweeping, difficult, and star-studded journey faced by Matt Damon’s Odysseus as he tries to make his way home in the aftermath of the Trojan War.
Percy Jackson star on what excited him about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey
“I’m excited to see the way they fight,” Scobell told us. “Because our series takes a lot of inspiration from—I guess just from looking at it—movies like 300 and stuff like that. At least that’s how Percy fights, it’s pretty aggressive. I always love looking at different fighting styles and if they go the really realistic route of super-bloody, hands-on, or if they go the really cool Pirates of the Caribbean route where it’s all about your swordsmanship and how well you’re able to use your weapon.”
Scobell also voiced his enthusiastic approval for the movie’s “pretty stacked cast” of Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Mia Goth, Samantha Morton, and Himesh Patel.
“[It’s] exactly what you want of a summer movie,” Damon told Empire for the magazine’s January 2026 issue. “It should be the most massively entertaining film. It should feel mythic.”
Added the director: “There’s a bit of everything in it. I mean, it truly contains all stories.”
In addition to writing and directing, Christopher Nolan also produced The Odyssey alongside his wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas (the two founded their Syncopy banner in 2001). Thomas Hayslip is executive producer.
When does Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey come out?
Filmed with brand-new IMAX technology all over the world, The Odyssey arrives exclusively in theaters July 17, 2026.
The film marks Nolan’s second collaboration with Universal Pictures after Oppenheimer (winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Picture).
New episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians premiere on Disney+ every Wednesday.
