Behemoth! 2026
Tony Gilroy's next, a nearly dialogue-free film about a cellist with an original score commissioned from many composers. Skipping Venice, so the hosts read it as a Telluride title.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Review
'The Odyssey' Is Massive and Magnificent
July 16, 2026/ 128 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean and Amanda review Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' his $250 million all-IMAX adaptation of Homer with Matt Damon as Odysseus, then game out its Oscar and box-office prospects. First, a long fall-festival news rundown.
36 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The news rundowntrailers, festival guesses, and release-date chess
I Play Rocky 2026
A biopic of Sylvester Stallone writing and fighting to star in 'Rocky.' Anthony Ippolito (Al Pacino in 'The Offer') plays Stallone; Tracy Letts co-stars. Sean calls it a ham sandwich, and sometimes a ham sandwich is delicious.
Mr. Irrelevant 2026
David Corenswet as John Tuggle, the last man drafted into the NFL. A holiday-corridor underdog cut from the same cloth as 'I Play Rocky.'
The Uprising 2026
Paul Greengrass's Peasants' Revolt film with Andrew Garfield, set in England in 1381. Out September 11; a likely fall-festival entry.
The Batman Part II 2028
Matt Reeves's sequel, delayed again to 2028, long enough that Nolan made six movies between Reeves's Batman films.
The Great Beyond 2027
J.J. Abrams's film, pushed from November to October 2027 in the Warner Bros. shuffle.
Jack of Spades 2027
Joel Coen's film, still without a distributor, now expected in 2027 and skipping the fall festivals. Amanda has it in the movie auction.
Hexed 2026
Disney's original animated film. Sean fears originals are a tough sell against a 'Focker in Law' and a 'Cliff Booth.'
The Adventures of Cliff Booth 2026
The Tarantino-scripted spinoff, its box office pinned to whether audiences turn out for it in IMAX.
Dune Part Three 2026
Denis Villeneuve's finale, dated the same day as an Avengers film and, like this movie, skipping the festivals.
Violent Night 2 2026
The action-Santa sequel with David Harbour, currently the only thing on December 4, a date Sean thinks a bigger movie should hold.
Nasty 2026
Mary Bronstein's next, the second original from Warner's Clockwork imprint, reuniting with Rose Byrne and adding Jenna Ortega.
Ti Amo! 2026
Sean Baker's film, Clockwork's next release before 'Nasty.'
Ink 2026
Danny Boyle's Venice opener, a biopic of a young Rupert Murdoch buying a London tabloid. Guy Pearce as Murdoch, Jack O'Connell as Larry Lamb, Claire Foy co-starring.
Cry to Heaven 2026
Tom Ford's next; his visibility around town signals to Sean that a Venice run is coming.
Here Comes the Flood 2026
A Netflix thriller with Denzel Washington and Robert Pattinson; a plausible Venice title.
Wild Horse Nine 2026
Martin McDonagh's next with John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell; a likely Venice entrant.
Bunker 2026
Florian Zeller's follow-up to 'The Father' and 'The Son,' picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.
A Long Winter 2026
Andrew Haigh's next, guessed for Venice or Telluride.
Primetime 2026
An A24 film starring Robert Pattinson, floated as a Telluride possibility.
Bucking Fastard 2026
Werner Herzog's film with Rooney and Kate Mara as twin sisters. Rejected from Cannes competition; Herzog refused to play Directors' Fortnight.
The Debut 2026
Jesse Eisenberg's next, guessed for Venice.
Being Heumann 2026
Sian Heder's first film since 'CODA,' an Apple release, announced as TIFF's opening gala.
Alpha Gang 2026
The Zellner brothers' film with Cate Blanchett, part of TIFF's second wave.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother 2026
Bassam Tariq's film with Mahershala Ali, made after Marvel's 'Blade' fell through, headed to TIFF.
Love of Your Life 2026
Rachel Morrison's directorial feature with Margaret Qualley and Patrick Schwarzenegger, an Amazon MGM release premiering at TIFF.
Animals 2026
Ben Affleck's Netflix film, a star-powered crowd-pleaser Sean expects at TIFF.
Sense and Sensibility 2026
The new Austen adaptation from Focus, floated for Telluride or TIFF; its placement will signal the studio's confidence. Amanda measures it against Ang Lee's 1995 version.
Paper Tiger 2026
James Gray's next, opening the New York Film Festival, a homecoming relaunch in the mold of 'The Irishman.'
The Basics of Philosophy 2026
Paul Schrader's next, an NYFF possibility, and a title Sean loves.
Tender Loving Care 2026
Mike Leigh's next, a Bleecker Street December release possibly bound for NYFF.
Artificial 2026
Not submitted to festivals, though rumored as a secret NYFF screening. A candidate for the fall's missing 'mega title.'
The Social Reckoning 2026
The 'Social Network' follow-up, in reshoots and possibly slipping its October 9 date; TIFF is its likeliest festival landing spot, if it's done.
Werwulf 2026
Robert Eggers' werewolf epic, which Sean cites as a movie that needs no festival or pre-release hype: the trailer sold him on a big screen.
Evil Dead Burn 2026
Sean saw it the day before recording; the 'Werwulf' trailer played before it.
'The Odyssey'Nolan's 13th, massive and magnificent
The Odyssey 2026
Christopher Nolan's $250 million all-IMAX adaptation of Homer, shot practically across Morocco, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Scotland and the Universal water tank. Matt Damon plays Odysseus with an American accent that sets the register for the whole cast; Anne Hathaway is a fierce Penelope, Tom Holland a shaky Telemachus. The supporting bench: Charlize Theron (Calypso), Zendaya (Athena), Robert Pattinson (the weasel suitor Antinous), Lupita Nyong'o (Helen and Clytemnestra), Samantha Morton (Circe), Benny Safdie (Agamemnon), Jon Bernthal (Menelaus), Himesh Patel (a skeptical second-in-command), John Leguizamo (a watchful palace seer), Bill Irwin (a puppet-and-mime Cyclops), Elliot Page (Sinon). Ludwig Goransson scores, Jennifer Lame edits, Ellen Mirojnick costumes, Ruth De Jong designs; Travis Scott and James Blake have an end-credits song. Told in a flash-cutting twin timeline (Odysseus retelling his war and voyage on Calypso's island; Telemachus searching for his father), it strips the gods down to Athena alone and reads the sack of Troy as the hero's great catastrophe rather than his triumph. The hosts rate it Nolan's most satisfying ending; the second act speed-runs the myths, but the final 40 minutes (sirens, the recognition, the bow-pluck massacre) pays it all off. Its esteem rose on a second viewing.
Also mentioned raised along the way
Nolan's other films FollowingInceptionInterstellarTenetDunkirkOppenheimerBatman Begins
Touchstones and comps Troy300The Talented Mr. RipleyThe Informant!An American Werewolf in LondonRachel Getting MarriedEdge of TomorrowFord v FerrariThe ReturnThe Secret Agent
Oscar history The GodfatherThe Godfather Part IICabaretDeliverance
Box-office comps BarbieProject Hail MarySupergirlThe Mandalorian and GroguA Minecraft MovieThe Super Mario Bros. MovieBackrooms
In the news, in passing La GraziaChallengersMichael ClaytonThe KillerThe FatherThe SonAll of Us StrangersNews of the WorldThe DevilsThe Devil Wears PradaMarty SupremeThe IrishmanThe Social NetworkViolent Night
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
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