The great hero Odysseus overcomes many obstacles in his epic story: a cyclops, witches, the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis, among others. Now he faces his greatest challenge: Fortnite. Epic Games has announced that Odysseus is coming to the battle royale later this week to celebrate the release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Epic Games made the announcement on the official Fortnite X account on July 15. It includes a short teaser that shows a digital Matt Damon — Odysseus himself in Nolan’s film — walking through vaguely Greek environments that evoke the movie. Some scenes from previous trailers are even recreated, such as Odysseus and his men walking into Polyphemus’ cave. There is also, of course, a shot of Odysseus floating aimlessly in the ocean. That guy can’t catch a break. More details on the tie-in will be announced later this week, perhaps when the movie is released on Friday.
This is actually the second video game tie-in for Nolan’s Odyssey. At the beginning of July, Roblox announced a free mode themed to the movie. Nolan has shown a surprising love of video games over the years, something that may come as a shock from the director known for his devotion to the cinematic experience. The second trailer for Nolan’s underrated masterpiece Tenet (I said what I said) premiered in Fortnite on May 21, 2020. Later that year, in June, Epic Games hosted a movie night event that allowed players to watch a selection of Nolan movies live in the game world. Depending on region, players were treated to free screenings of Batman Begins, Inception, or The Prestige.
The Odyssey is Nolan’s first film since the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer was released in 2023. Matt Damon takes on the lead role alongside a star-studded cast that includes returning Nolan collaborators Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Himesh Patel, and Elliot Page, among others. They are joined by the likes of Tom Holland (as Odysseus’ son Telemachus) and Zendaya, both of whom will be starring in their first Nolan picture.
The Odyssey will be released in theaters on July 17.
