The first trailer of Christopher Nolan’s new period epic The Odyssey was unveiled on Monday. It’s no surprise that the almost two-minute trailer is packed with larger-than-life, breathtaking visuals which dominate the proceedings, more than the sparse dialogues. The audience has been particularly impressed by the shots of men wading through the Polyphemus in the adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem.
It’s no secret that the stunning visuals of The Odyssey are aided by the IMAX technology, given Nolan has been a proponent of the same for years. He first employed the technology while filming his 2008 superhero movie, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman. Now, seven films later, The Odyssey has become the first-ever film to be shot entirely using IMAX cameras.
The Keighley camera
One of the new IMAX technology that’s been used by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema is the Keighley camera. As per the offficial website of IMAX, the Keighley camera is far more compact and thus, supports more mobility. It’s a fine blend of the old and the new, boasting of the image quality and immersive experience of the legacy 70mm IMAX cameras and the more handy and user-friendly nature of modern cameras.
Who’s the camera named after?
The Keighley camera is a tribute to IMAX pioneer David Keighley, who passed away a couple of months ago at the age of 77. He served as IMAX’s first-ever Chief Quality Officer for the past 15 years and worked on the post-production of over 500 IMAX movies, including those made by greats like Nolan, James Cameraon (Avatar), Denis Villeneuve (Dune), Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis), and Ryan Coogler (Sinners).
In fact, Sinners was the last film he finished before moving on to The Odyssey. He completed his reviews of the dailies of The Odyssey just three weeks before his death. Given the legacy that Nolan’s film holds in the IMAX realm, it’ll surely be a befitting tribute to David Keighley when it released in cinemas on July 17, 2026. In fact, advance booking in several IMAX screens commenced exactly a year before the release on July 17 earlier this year.
Keighley camera also a tribute to David’s wife
Last week, celebrity video game journalist Geoff Keighley shared pictures of the new Keighley camera on his X handle, one of them with his mother Patricia Keighley. “There’s been a lot of well-deserved attention on my dad and his legacy this year, but my mom has been just as vital to IMAX since the very beginning — and she’s still hard at work there every day. As my dad always said, she was 50% of everything he ever accomplished. I know nothing would make him happier than seeing her contributions recognized as well,” he wrote.
Patricia and David were co-founders of David Keighley Productions, a large-format post-production company which they started in 1972 after being awed by Greme Ferguson’s 1971 Canadian IMAX travel documentary North of Superior. They even co-directed the 1973 IMAX short Catch the Sun. IMAX then acquired David Keighley Productions in 1988, allowing the Keighley couple to become an indispensable authority at the company for more than the next 25 years.
IMAX’s new film camera will be named The @IMAX Keighley Camera — honoring both of my parents, who were instrumental in its creation. The camera was first used to film Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, coming to theaters next summer.
There’s been a lot of well-deserved attention… pic.twitter.com/p0ih6pAeeD
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 18, 2025
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In his tribute to David Keighley, Nolan said, “His expertise and collaborative spirit put IMAX cameras into my hands for the first time and opened Hollywood’s eyes to the power of the format, starting with The Dark Knight.” “The last film he completed work on was Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, and while it breaks my heart to know that we will not be finishing The Odyssey together, I take comfort knowing that he personally supervised the processing and printing of everything we shot,” he added.
The nmythic action epic shot across the world boasts of a stellar ensemble cast, led by Matt Damon as Odysseus, along with Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. The Odyssey is produced by Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas’ company Syncopy.
