The Odyssey Filming Locations | Movie Shooting Sites, Ithaca, Myth Journey Map Comparison
Christopher Nolan's 2026 film The Odyssey, which Universal Pictures introduces as based on Homer's epic poem, was shot in six countries in total: Greece, Italy, Morocco, Iceland, Scotland, and the United States.
For an overview, here is a summary of which location in which country stood in for each space. Viewing them side by side makes it easy to grasp how the film's geography was woven together.
| Work | Christopher Nolan's 2026 film The Odyssey, based on Homer's epic poem per Universal's official introduction |
|---|---|
| Filming countries | Greece · Italy · Morocco · Iceland · Scotland · United States, 6 countries in total |
| Troy | Shot on a set constructed in Morocco |
| The Cyclops' cave | Used a cave on a mountainside in Greece |
| Hades | Used Iceland's black sand terrain |
| Ithaca scenes | Shot on the island of Favignana near Sicily, Italy |
The Role of Each Filming Location, Read in Journey Order
Looking at the filming locations in story order, what stands out is that the approach differed from place to place. The starting point, Troy, was shot on a set built from scratch in Morocco, while the Cyclops' cave used a cave found on a mountainside in Greece.
The realm of the dead, Hades, was handled by Iceland. Its terrain covered in black sand was used to shape the impression of that space. The final destination, the Ithaca scenes, was depicted on the island of Favignana near Sicily, Italy.
Seen this way, the methods fall into two categories. Stages requiring artificial structures, like Troy, were given built sets, while places where the natural environment itself defines the character of the space, like the cave or the black sand, used real terrain as it was. This is a useful distinction for gauging where the texture of the spaces on screen came from.
The Ithaca of the Film and the Ithaca of the Myth Are Different Coordinates
In the original Odyssey, Ithaca is the home island Odysseus sought to return to after ten years of wandering, and the story's final destination. In the film's production, however, that role was taken over by the island of Favignana near Sicily. The fact that Favignana served as the stage for the Ithaca scenes does not make it the same place as the Ithaca of the epic.
This principle applies to the entire journey as well. Troy, the Cyclops' cave, and Hades are merely coordinates of the story within the epic, but in the film they were moved to entirely different real locations: a set in Morocco, a cave in Greece, and Iceland's black sand. So the myth journey map and the filming map are best read as two essentially different maps.
If you are curious about where the Ithaca of the epic is believed to be and what it means, also check out the location and meaning of Ithaca in the original. The background behind the construction of the Troy filming set can be found in Troy filming information, and how Troy's real geography differs from its depiction in the film can be explored further in comparing Troy's real location.
FAQ
Is the island of Favignana the Ithaca of the original epic?
No. Favignana is an island near Sicily, Italy, and is simply a modern filming location chosen as the stage for the Ithaca scenes in the film. The Ithaca of the original Odyssey belongs to the geography of the epic, so it is accurate not to equate the two places.
What was filmed in each of the six countries?
Based on the production reports that have been made public, the confirmed roles are the Troy set in Morocco, the Cyclops' cave on a Greek mountainside, Hades in Iceland's black sand, and the Ithaca scenes on the island of Favignana. The specific filming content in Scotland and the United States falls outside the scope of these reports.