The Odyssey (2026) Behind the Scenes: The Cyclops, Trojan Horse & Siege of Troy

How did Christopher Nolan and his cast bring Homer's legendary epic to life? From breathtaking real-world locations and revolutionary IMAX cameras, to a full-size Trojan horse, the terrifying Cyclops, intense sword training and enormous practical sets, here's the behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Odyssey, the first Hollywood movie filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. Nolan convinced IMAX engineers to create a revolutionary blimp housing that dramatically reduced the camera's noise, making it possible to shoot quiet dialogue scenes in full IMAX for the first time. The new IMAX setup was enormous. Once enclosed inside the soundproof housing, each camera weighed around 300 pounds, yet cinematographer Hoyt Van Hoytema still operated it, even for handheld shots. Every IMAX film magazine lasted only about two and a half minutes. Every take had to be carefully planned. Nolan pushed IMAX further than ever before. Besides dialogue scenes, the cameras were adapted for helicopters, underwater photography and massive practical action sequences. Nolan is famously hands-on. If he wanted an object to move in exactly the right way for a shot, he'd step in and do it himself, rather than explain it to someone else. Nolan insisted on real locations, real props and practical environments. He believes actors naturally perform better when surrounded by authentic sets, instead of green screens or virtual stages. Because the film used real wooden ships, the actors attended a rowing camp where they learned to row, raise sails and operate massive Bronze Age vessels safely before filming at sea. Rather than using water tanks, much of the voyage was filmed on the open ocean aboard practical ships. The Siege of Troy was built on a massive practical set and featured one of the biggest practical battle sequences Nolan has ever filmed. Production designer Ruth de Jong combined huge physical sets with large-scale miniatures positioned in the distance, creating the illusion that the ancient city stretched for miles without relying on digital effects. Christopher Nolan had imagined the Trojan horse scene for over 20 years. Instead of relying on computer graphics, the art department built a 35-foot-tall Trojan horse weighing between 8,000 and 9,000 pounds, making it one of the largest practical props in the film. It was transported in multiple crates, assembled on location and designed so that hundreds of people could realistically pull it by hand. Engineers spent months making it as strong, lightweight and durable as possible. Because of its enormous size, the horse was constructed in nine or ten separate crates, shipped to Morocco and assembled on location before filming. The Hades sequence was filmed in Iceland during June, taking advantage of the eerie never-ending daylight of the midnight sun. Hundreds of extras played the shades of Hades. The scene with rising out of the sand was filmed entirely without the use of computer graphics. The stunt performers were buried, but they had snorkels that you couldn't see and each person had a safety person with them. Tom Holland underwent extensive sword and shield training before filming. He said the stunt team gave him more rehearsal time than on any previous action film, allowing him to perform long, continuous fight sequences. Unlike superhero movies, Nolan filmed complete fight scenes in long takes. Rather than capturing a few moves at a time, the actors performed entire choreographed battles from beginning to end, making every fight feel raw and dangerous. Instead of relying heavily on stunt doubles, Nolan told stunt coordinator George Cottle that the action had to be both remarkable and believable, with the cast performing as much of the combat as possible. So let's talk about the son of Poseidon, Polyphemus. The Cyclops was not created solely using CGI. They built a massive 60-foot puppet, which was later combined with digital effects. Also, Bill Irwin physically played the Cyclops. He performed the character in full body makeup, while some scenes also used a gigantic mechanical puppet to bring the mythical creature to life. The scene was filmed inside Nestor's cave in Greece. In addition, it was difficult to obtain permits from the authorities, as it was an active archaeological site. Well, that's all! Thanks for watching, please like, subscribe, watch more videos and see you next time! Take care!