Christopher Nolan Brings 'The Odyssey' to CinemaCon

"The Odyssey' is a story that has fascinated generation after generation for 3,000 years," Nolan said from the stage on Wednesday evening. "It's not a story, it's the story." He introduced an extended clip from the film showing the arrival of the Trojan Horse and the intense nighttime infiltration of the city of Troy. Or, as Jon Bernthal's Menelaus calls it, "the story of the horse."

"The Odyssey" is the first motion picture shot entirely on IMAX film, thanks to the development of new cameras that aren't quite so noisy, fulfilling a dream Nolan said he's had since he was 16. The film boasts a massive ensemble with Anne Hathaway playing Odysseus's wife Penelope, Tom Holland as their son Telemachus, Zendaya as the goddess Athena and Robert Pattinson as Antinous, one of Penelope's suitors.

Nolan said it would be quicker to say who isn't in "The Odyssey", his first feature since "Oppenheimer", which won best picture and best director at the Oscars in 2024. "It's always been a film, first and foremost, about this idea of family, this idea of homecoming," Nolan said, adding that it is almost done. The footage was shown as part of the Universal Pictures presentation to exhibitors, where the studio also has a new "Minions" movie and Steven Spielberg's original science fiction film "Disclosure Day" coming to theatres this summer. "I'm just really glad not to be following Steven Spielberg," Nolan said.

Later, Spielberg, like Nolan, got a rousing, retrospective montage of his films and a big standing ovation from the audience as well. For Spielberg's first visit to the convention, the Motion Picture Association even gave him an award. Colman Domingo, who co-stars in "Disclosure Day", led a discussion with Spielberg about his 35th feature, which opens on June 12. Spielberg said he's always been fascinated by what's happening in the sky, and, particularly, the UFO phenomenon. And 50 years after "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", he said he's convinced that there's more truth to it than fiction. The movie, which also stars Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, has been kept quite secretive. Spielberg said he was adamant about not spoiling the third act. "All I can say is it's an experience," Spielberg said. "And all you need to get from the beginning to the end is a seat belt." He also spoke about the industry at large and the importance of giving the audience original stories. "That is what's going to keep this business alive," Spielberg said.