Hollywood Stars Land in Sicily for 'The Odyssey' Filming

The wait is over: Hollywood stars have arrived in Sicily. Tom Holland and Matt Damon were spotted yesterday, March 24, at Trapani-Birgi Airport, while Zendaya landed in Palermo shortly after. Their photos quickly flooded social media, sparking excitement among fans. Some caught them at the airport exit, others started a desperate dash for a selfie, and some are monitoring the cast's movements in real-time. The "set fever" has officially begun.

The cause of all this excitement is the start of the Italian shooting of The Odyssey, the ambitious project by Christopher Nolan that brings to the screen the journey of Odysseus through an epic and visionary lens. To tell the story of a world suspended between myth and sea, the production has chosen a specific corner of the Mediterranean: Western Sicily.

The cameras will start rolling in the coming days, particularly on the island of Favignana, to set some of the film’s key scenes. The choice of location is easy to understand: Favignana, with its tufa coves, crystal-clear water, and suspended atmospheres, seems to have come straight out of a Homeric tale. It is a place where time moves more slowly, and where beauty is silent and ancestral.

This is not the first time Sicily has seduced the big screen, but the arrival of a cast of this caliber – Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Robert Pattinson – certainly raises the bar. And the province of Trapani is enjoying the moment. Some hope to be extras, others are on alert with their smartphones, ready to capture a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Seeing familiar streets invaded by film crews, equipment, and international stars is a surreal experience. But it's also an opportunity: economic, touristic, cultural. And it's an implicit recognition of the tangible and never trivial beauty of this part of Sicily, too often overlooked by the major circuits.

The Odyssey, set for release on July 17, 2026, promises to be one of the most significant cinematic events of recent years. Nolan has assembled a stellar cast and chosen to tell the oldest story of all – that of the journey, the return, the man against destiny – starting from an island that still retains the memory of the myth.