‘The Odyssey’ Is Massive and Magnificent
7/16/20262 hr 11 min
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time. On today’s show, Sean and Amanda cover the biggest movie event of the year, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated ‘The Odyssey.’ Before entering their wooden horse to ambush the gates of Troy, they react to some movie news, including ‘The Batman Part II’ being delayed (again), some fall film festival lineup announcements, and more. Then, they kick off their deep dive into this legitimately levitating epic. They make the case for why it’s the perfect Christopher Nolan movie, highlight the pivotal decision to cast Matt Damon as Odysseus, and predict its box office and Academy Awards chances.
(0:00) Intro
(1:11) Movie news
(22:37) ‘The Odyssey’ deep dive
(1:51:32) Box office and Oscar predictions
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Producer: Jack Sanders
Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh
It’s on Prime.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSean Fennessey· Host0:01
[upbeat music] I'm Sean Fennessey.
Amanda Dobbins· Host0:16
I'm Amanda Dobbins.
Sean Fennessey· Host0:17
And this is the Big Picture, a conversation show about a face, a fleet, a war, a man. Today we are diving deep into Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, the movie mega event that will no doubt be the biggest film of 2026. But will it be the best? We will discuss the scale of this titanic feat, the adaptation of Homer's epic poem, the performances from one of the most loaded casts in recent movie history, why now for this story, and the fate of Nolan's 13th feature film at the box office, the Academy Awards, and beyond. But first, we'll talk about some movie news right after this. This episode of The Big Picture is presented by Amazon Prime. One of the best things about streaming is that you never just pick a title, you pick a feeling. And Prime makes that easy. With great entertainment and fast shipping that brings the moment to life, Prime helps you experience the feeling you're craving, shows you can't wait for and deliveries you don't wait for, one click away. From streaming to fast shipping, it's on Prime. Okay.
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:11
You like that improv?
Sean Fennessey· Host1:12
That was really good.
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:13
Give me some props.
Sean Fennessey· Host1:13
That was really good.
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:14
Give me props.
Sean Fennessey· Host1:15
It's called teamwork.
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:16
Give me props.
Sean Fennessey· Host1:16
[laughs] It's teamwork. We made the dream work. Uh, let's talk about some news. I- Yeah ... you know, there's a lot of news. I think most people who are coming to this episode don't care about the news.
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:23
Eh.
Sean Fennessey· Host1:23
They're like, "Tell us about The Odyssey."
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:24
Okay.
Sean Fennessey· Host1:25
But, um, some of these things matter to us.
Amanda Dobbins· Host1:26
Mm-hmm.
Sean Fennessey· Host1:27
The Behemoth trailer was released. This is Tony Gilroy's new film, much discussed