Tom Holland reveals how Zendaya reacted when Christopher Nolan cast her as Athena in The Odyssey
Tom Holland gamified the casting scoop, secretly tipping Zendaya that Christopher Nolan wanted her as Athena in The Odyssey — then teasing out the reveal with a sweet guessing game.
Christopher Nolan is usually Fort Knox with casting, but Tom Holland just told a very Tom Holland story about how he quietly let Zendaya know Nolan wanted her to play Athena in The Odyssey. Also worth noting: after the early trailer backlash, first reactions have been glowing, and this IMAX beast is almost at the finish line.
How Tom told Zendaya (and yes, he made it a game)
In a recent Access Hollywood sit-down, Holland said Nolan carefully floated a question during their meeting: would he be cool if Zendaya played Athena? Holland admitted his first panicked thought was that Nolan was about to ask him to wear lifts to look taller. Instead, he loved the idea and volunteered to be the messenger.
Back home, when Zendaya asked how the meeting went, he refused to just blurt it out. He told her to reread the script and really zero in on Athena. He watched the penny drop in real time as the corners of her mouth started to give it away.
"Just read it again, but read Athena really closely."
Robert Pattinson was there for the interview too. He plays Antinous, and early reactions are already shouting him out for being deliciously manipulative.
The lineup
- Matt Damon as Odysseus
- Anne Hathaway as Penelope
- Tom Holland as Telemachus (Odysseus and Penelope's son)
- Zendaya as Athena
- Robert Pattinson as Antinous
- Plus: Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Himesh Patel, and Mia Goth
Where the buzz stands now
The first big trailer on May 4, 2026 had people side-eyeing some choices, but early reactions since then have flipped the narrative hard in Nolan's favor. Holland, Pattinson, and the rest of the very stacked ensemble are getting singled out, and the whole thing is being framed as a massive IMAX event you actually need to experience on a giant screen.
When and where to see it
Universal dropped a final countdown trailer on July 1, 2026. The Odyssey hits theaters on July 17, 2026. It was shot entirely with IMAX cameras, so if you can swing a true IMAX, this is the one.
What the movie covers
It is Nolan doing Homer: after the Trojan War, Odysseus tries to get back to Ithaca and spends a decade dodging divine grudges and mythological death traps while Penelope and Telemachus wait at home. Expect gods and monsters, the Cyclops, Sirens, Circe, and a whole lot of no-easy-way-out problem solving.
So yes, Holland turned a major casting offer into a cute at-home riddle. The movie, on the other hand, is done teasing. It lands July 17.